Ancora
by Optimus365
Summary: With the loss of her Optimus, Cara struggles between overcoming the pain in her spark and assisting Bumblebee in leading a small team on earth. She was told that in time, her spark would join her love when it was ready. But what about when she's laying awake at night begging Primus or God or whoever, to take her? Rated M, mainly for language
1. Pilot pt 1

**If you haven't read my first story, Carry the One, I highly suggest it. I just jump straight from the Prime universe to the RID. There are a lot of things that you will be confused about if you don't. Thanks guys (:**

* * *

"Good morning." I silenced my class filled with fourth years. "My name is Ancora Prime, but please, call me by my earth name, Cara. I'm sure many of you have heard rumors, folktales, about the final days of the war. I am here, to change that. I am here to give you the real deal. Now, it's a long story, with a lot of battles, but I believe by the end of the year you'll be walking out of here with at least five things that you didn't know before you came in. Now, before I begin is there any questions?" A young mech colored light green raised his servo tentatively in the air, his friends edging him on. "Yes?"

"Forgive me, m'lady, but, there is one thing, if you wouldn't mind clearing it up?" he paused, his blue optics cringing slightly as he waited my response. I nodded, and he inhaled a deep breath. "There's a rumor going around that Sir Optimus Prime, has forbidden you, from following him into the well. … is that true?"

My spark clenched at the unexpected mention of my love's name. I brought my servo to my chest, kneading the pain away as I paused at his words. They were purely innocent, I knew, but I still had a right to react to it. Memories of my bot and I flashed to my memory, but I quickly pushed them aside. "First of all," I cleared my throat, shoving the mass down. "There is no 'my lady' or 'ma'am' or any shit like that. I am Cara, and that is all."

* * *

After my class had ended, I walked out of the school to my usual spot near the Cybertron History Museum. Outside, there were huge ass statues of the Primes, my bot being one of them. Whereas there were a few more of these things scattered throughout the cities, I felt most at home at this one. It's almost as if.. I could feel him there.

It was a short walk, the most dangerous part being getting across the streets. Nobody really walked, everyone drives, and the crowded Cybertronian streets was something I would never complain about. I smiled, thinking about the joy my Optimus would take in seeing how well his planet was flourishing, something I often did.

Once I got close enough to see the statues, something was wrong. I picked up my pace, quickly jogging to the circle. _Optimus wasn't standing_. I jogged up the bridge going over a slight river, where I saw a perfect impression of my bot's face laying in the water. His stoned optics, watching me with a glum look. "Uhm, Bumblebee?" I called over my comm. "Why is my Optimus laying in the water?"

" _Oh, sis_!" he cheered in response. I had maintained a close relationship with Bee, as he stayed in the same city I did. He was fulfilling Optimus' last two requests by becoming member of patrol, and an exceptional leader. I met him a few times as he came to visit my Optimus. The only time I left my statue's side was when I taught my class. The people of the museum won't even try to get me to go home anymore. There was once a protest, but Bee shut them down in a heartbeat. " _I need to talk to you! Right now! I am in the museum, you need to come in here, now!_ "

"Alright, alright, gods," I said, giving my bot one last look. "I love you," I whispered to him, blowing a kiss in his direction. I thought back to my days in Jasper, envisioning him returning it.

The doors to the museum opened, the little lady at the desk not even looking up as I walked in. As I walked through the halls, following Bee's signal, others pushed to the sides of the walls, away from me. I could hear whispers as I passed, but I've learned to ignore them. Ever since I handed the High Counsel permission to lead over me, there were lots of questions thrown up in the air.

"Wait, aren't you…. Bumblebee?" I heard a mech exclaim in excitement. I smiled, turning in the direction of the voice. "You're working here now?"

"Yeah, just started today," Bee stated, and I almost scoffed. I turned a corner, and saw two security guards standing in front of Bee. He was talking them down as two other voices scuffled behind him. "You guys are the real heros," he smiled, and it was then that I knew my brother was up to something.

"What's going on?" one of the guards asked, moving to get around Bee. One got past, Bee grabbing him and pulling him onto his back. I groaned, facepalming. "Intruder doing a bad impersonation of Bumblebee, send back up."

I laughed aloud, the three of them turning to face me. I walked forward, the two security guards automatically falling to one knee. "What is this?" I gestured to them, kneeling down as well. "Is this how we greet each other now?"

"Ancora Prime," one of them acknowledged. "I was not aware-"

"You didn't need to be," I smiled. I pulled them up with me as I stood, smiling gently at them. "It brings me great joy to see that you are so skilled at your job, however, this _is_ Bumblebee. I believe he has something he wishes to speak to me about, and besides. The statue of my bot outside has fallen. I will be in here until it can be fixed again, and I'd like my brother here with me."

"Thank you, Prime," one of them called as the departed.

My optics narrowed and I kicked the wall a little. "Why the fuck can't people call me 'Cara?'"

"Because you're a hero," Bee smiled, pulling me into a hug. "You saved Cybertron, became one of us while doing so, and caught the spark of our most sacred Prime,"

I returned the hug, smiling as I remembered what this is like. "What is it that you need to speak to me about?"

"I saw Optimus," he cheered. "It was, like maybe a vision, in the water out front, but I saw him. He pointed to the museum, and when I looked earth was brighter than the rest of them. When I came in here, he _spoke_ to me. You believe to me, don't you?"

"Bee," I smiled at him. "Of course I believe you." He was the only one who stuck with me, of course I wasn't going to tell him he was Crazy. Sure, the first few weeks after Optimus' death, I spent many hours seeing and talking to him. However, I believed that it was because of our bonded sparks. When he passed, half of me passed with him. But occasionally, I could feel his presence within me, and around me. When I was teaching, talking to his statue, lying in the cold at his pedes. "What did he say?"

"He wants me to go to earth. I found a space bridge." _Home_. "Would you like to join me?"

"A….space bridge?..." I asked, dumbfounded. I inhaled deeply, reaching a servo out to rest on Bee's shoulderplates.

"Yeah, I've got… .. my cadet working on it," he smiled broadly.

I nodded, and Bee turned. He moved into a room nearby, a blue and red bot haunched over the control system of what really did look like a space bridge. There was a small statue of Optimus by it, and I moved to it. "Optimus,..." I smiled, running my servo across the metal faceplates.

"Lieutenant Bumblebee!" The blue bot shouted, punching the air with her servo. Attached to her wrist was stasis cuffs, the other end attached to the red bot's wrist. "We did it!" The bridge next to her pulsed, the familiar blue green hue bringing back so many memories.

"No, I did it," the red one argued, yanking on the cuff. " _And_ with a giant paperweight strapped to my arm.

Bee moved over to the controls, pausing to look at the two. "Thank you both," he said solemnly. "Now stand back,"

I moved to the front of the bridge as Bee set coordinates. I stared into the pulsing blue green mass, memories flooding my systems.

* * *

" _You four!" Ratchet hollered at us. "Into our ground bridge - NOW!"_

" _Awe…" I groaned, watching as the kids darted for the bridge. I rose from my spot, the kids already through the bridge._

 _That was when it got weird. Strands of our bridge combined with the one not too far away. There was an evil groaning, following a light that only grew brighter and brighter._

" _Cara!" I heard a baritone rumble in fear. I turned to see blue peds make their way towards me, black hands encircling me as the light blinded my completely. "Ratchet, what is happening!?"_

" _The two ground bridge portals must be feeding back on each other!" Ratchet observed as Optimus lifted me to his chest, servos wrapped tightly around me._

…

 _A much larger explosion erupted the next second, Optimus holding me tighter into his form as he was thrown back from the force. My ears rang, my vision blurry as I felt his body make contact with the rocks surrounding us._

 _The smoke from the explosion slowly drifted away, myself peeling my way through Optimus' grip on me. I heard Bulkhead groan as he picked himself up off the ground, Ratch and Bee not too far away._

" _W-What just happened?" he asked, looking towards us._

…

 _Optimus growled softly, lifting his hand to my shoulder which I graciously crawled onto. "What were you four thinking, following us through the bridge?" he asked me, voice layered with anger and hurt._

" _Miko made a break," I shrugged. "The other two followed her through, and I wasn't just going to miss the opportunity to watch you work."_

" _Cara…" he rumbled, head turning to meet mine as I settled into his neck struts, holding onto a piston._

" _Optimus, I understand that you told me no," I protested him, begging him to understand. "But I could not allow three children to run into a battle zone without supervision! They're teenagers, what do you expect them to do by themselves?"_

" _How come you're not lost through the ground bridge?" Bulk grumbled angrily, staring me down … or, up…_

" _I…" I paused, looking up at Optimus' knowing, and disapproving glare. "I, didn't want to leave."_

" _Cara," he stated dangerously. I turned to him, his optics full with anger. "You know that the decepticons see you as a weak link! I've explained this to you and you still go against my word!"_

" _No sense in staying and arguing." Ratchet called, leading Bumblebee away from the destruction. "Discipline can come later right now we need to find the others."_

 _Optimus vented air furiously before shaking his helm, looking away from me._

* * *

"Cara?"

I restarted my optics looking down at Bee, who was staring up at me with a concerned look. I nodded, smiling down at him. "We ready?"

"Yes ma'am," he nodded.

I smacked him lightly on the chest, giving him a glare. "I'm not a ma'am," I laughed. He offered me his servo, which I gratefully took. He gently pulled me through the space bridge, the familiar tug on my spark familiar. On the other side, was peace.

There were birds chirping in the distance, the green trees reaching high into the blue sky above. The sun was midday, beams of it stretching out to greet the white puffy clouds. There were mountains in the distance, white birds flying through the open air. There was a river curving through the base of the mountains, the green stretching as far as I could see. There was more oxygen in the air, something that I had missed. I inhaled deeply, feeling the mixture. The gravity was lighter, and I felt as if I could soar through the open air.

"Earth," Bumblebee smiled brightly, and I could almost laugh.

"I'm home,"

"Earth!" a voice called behind us.

Bee and I both turned around to see the two cuffed bots running through the still open space bridge.

Bee facepalmed before he turned to the others. "What are you doing? What's he doing here?"

"Oh!" she cringed. "The punk. Forgot all about him," her face dropped, completely ignoring the bot attached to her wrist.

"Look, I can't be responsible for you both while I'm- Strongarm, go back through! The space bridge is going to close any-"

"Sir," she interrupted. "Ride along regs. I'm with you," she literally planted her ped down.

I watched as Bee facepalmed again. I believe I was still invisible to the other two, as they are the only ones, ever, to not fall on their faceplates when they saw me. "Uncuff Sideswipe!"

"Yeah," the red one, Sideswipe, protested. "Uncuff Sideswipe!"

"I know I have violated protocol, and I will fill out all the paperwork when-"

Bee pulled his blaster out of it's holster, firing with deadly accuracy on the cuff, knocking it away from the both of them. "Move it Sideswipe!"

"Back to hassle planet Cybertron?" he sneered, rubbing his wrists. "Forget that," he waved the bridge away, turning to run. "And forget you two!"

The bridge closed behind Strongarm as Sideswipe took to run. Bee stood in the middle of the two, flabbergasted. "Ugh. And, I'm stranded on earth with two teenagers," he sighed.

"And me," I demanded in my best Optimus tone, standing high above the three of the bots. Sideswipe stopped in front of me, staring up at me. "Now, Bee, who are these bots?"

Strongarm stared at me, open mouthed and wide opticed. Sideswipe kicked the dirt nervously, slowly backing away and hiding behind Bee. "Uh, sis," Bee chuckled nervously. _Did my voice work that well?_ "This is cadet Strongarm, the bot under my training."

"And 'the punk'?"

"That's Sideswipe. He was the one that…. Knocked Optimus down."

I glared at the bot, who looked like he was going to run away. "Bot," I demanded, not moving. "Step forward."

"Uh, no offense, your greatness, but I think I'll be fine right here,"

"It wasn't a question," I growled. "Step. Forward."

Bee rapidly shoved Sideswipe forward, the bot looking back at him like he had shot him. "Seriously, dude?"

"Sideswipe," I called, pulling my shoulder plates back. I reached a servo forward, lightly tapping him across the cheek. He still clinched his optics shut, flinching like I had shot him. I smiled as he looked back at me. "It's alright kid. I think I've done far worse in my time here on this planet, I can't blame you for the things you did on yours,"

"Ancora Prime? If I may," Strongarm began to ramble, something I had a feeling she did a lot. "Sideswipe destroyed the statue of the great Optimus Prime, your deceased bonded who you haven't been able to join in the well. Doesn't that make you even the tiniest bit upset?"

"Of course it does, cadet," I smiled. "But I know my Optimus' spark is not limited to a single statue that we built to honor him. But everywhere, on Cybertron, and on my home. Now, if there aren't anymore questions, Bee, what're we doing here?"

"Let's go," he called nervously, pushing past the trees.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, and of the two bots staring at me as I walked behind Bee, I heard a faint, relaxed voice saying words that weren't usually calm words to be saying.

"May-day, May-day, for the three hundred and forty-second time, may-day," we moved towards it, Bee pushing forward. "This is Fixit, caretaker minicon for the Cybertron max security prison ship Alchemor, still on doo-doo,"

"Doo-doo?" Strongarm asked as we caught a visual, the two of them pushing past me.

"Duty, ma'am," the small, orange minicon wheeled forward, a large grin on his face. He smacked his helm with the metal pipe he was working with, before tossing it to the side. "Oh, it's so good to see Cybertronian grills after all these years! Where's your squadron?" he looked behind the bots, looking for something more, I guess.

"I'm afraid we're it," I called, pushing past Bee. The little bot stared up at me as I knelt down to his height. "We didn't know you were here, little one," I giggled, gesturing towards the ones behind us. "This is cadet Strongarm, Sideswipe, Lieutenant Bumblebee, and I am-"

"Ancora Prime, bonded of the deceased Optimus Prime, who replenished our world by sacrificing his own life, leaving his bots and new bond mate behind on a broken and emptied world,"

I gently swallowed a mass in my throat, remembering the day I lost my bot.

* * *

 _To my despair, he pulled away, cupping my face once more. "Hm…. Ancora Prime, I love you with all of my spark."_

" _As I love you, Optimus Prime,"_

 _He chuckled, and pulled away. I clutched my arms around my waist, watching as he activated his jetpacks. He soared high into the air, only to circle and dive down into the well. I leaned over the side, watching his lights until they disappeared. "Optimus…."_

 _The well grew blue in color, the same blue as when we restored Cybertron. However, streams of neon colored lights flew from the well and into the air. A red one pulled away, and hovered over the bots for a moment. It seemed to bounce, before it came over to me. "Baby?" I hesitated, falling to my knees. The little red ball ran circles around my shoulders for a brief moment, before brushing against my spark chamber._ Optimus _._

* * *

"My name is _Cara_ ," I demanded, correcting him. "And you are?"

"I'm Fixit, ma'am," he bowed before I could growl at him. "And this is - uh, was, the prison ship Alchemor, bearing Cybertron's most wanted decepticons. Now, I've reconned the crash site, and we're missing most of our stasis cells. Several nearby have ruptured, their inmates are presumingly at large," He gestured behind him as he continued to report, showing the many empty or damaged or both stasis cells scattered in the dirt behind him.

"How many is several?" Strongarm protested.

"Ohhh, couple hundred," he shrugged, turning back towards the remains. "In fact," he wheeled over to a pod nearby. "This is the only pod still in intactition. Intachnometer. Ugh, intact!" he finally shouted, pounding on his chest. Of course, as soon as these words came out, the pod shook and banged. "And it's cyro-stasis mechanism may be a bit damaged as well.

"What's wrong with your voice, kid?" I asked, looking down on him.

He turned to face me, his face plates set in a firm line. "Mrs. Prime, I'll have you know that just because I am small does _not_ mean that I am a youngling,"

"Don't take it too hard, Fixit," Bee chuckled. "Cara calls everyone kid. I even caught her calling Optimus it once or twice,"

"It's an earth thing, hun," I smiled gently. "I don't mean any offense by it. If I wanted to insult you, you would know it. Now, your voice?"

"I must've taken heavy damage in the crash, ma'am. I don't exactly know."

"Enough with the ma'am," I demanded, accessing a scanner that I had pulled from Ratchet before I last saw him. "I am Cara." I looked him over with my optics, the readings forming in front of my optics. "There's not too much damage, an easy fix that I can do, if you'd like,"

"I'd much appreciate the offer, Cara," he smiled. "I will have to turn it down for plow. Cow. Now!" he pounded his fist into his chest again.

"That's alright," I smiled at him. "Fixit, how secure is the area surrounding the ship's crash site? Like, can we go exploring?"

* * *

I dipped down, running my servos through the grass. The short, fine blades ran past my fingertips and cut against the metal of my palm. The strong wind barely pushed against my frame, the slight chill that it brought with it sending my armor into a slightly hotter temperature. The treetops swayed slightly, barely noticeable, in the directions that the wind took them. I offlined my optics, inhaling the oxygen-rich air once more, feeling the difference rush my systems.

"Hello!"

I cringed, shooting the bots behind me a glare. Sideswipe cupped his servos in front of his mouth again, calling into the cliffs below listening as it echoed around him.

"Some people were enjoying the quiet, y'know," I grumbled to him.

"Hello!" a different, lighter voice returned.

"Huh?" the young bot questioned, twisting to peer around the rock.

"Sideswipe, no-!" I was cut off with screams of both a young child and of Sideswipe. The bot fell backwards onto the ground, his pedes lifting into the air. The young boy, who had wide blue eyes and a mess of brown hair. I quickly transformed, activating my holoform and directing it to climb out of my cockpit.

"What are you!?" it shook, eyes frantically darting between the three of them, before they landed on me.

"Hey, hey hey," I eased, holding my hands out. My holoform looked just like my human form, Ratchet having designed it that way. My black hair hung loosely at my waist, my bones thin and my stomach flat, the only significant difference being a small autobot symbol tattooed in the center of my chest in between my boobs. "It's alright," I eased. "We're not going to hurt you!"

His breathing slowed, even as he looked between me and the bots. "We?" he questioned my curiously.

"My name is Carabelle," I smiled. "It's okay, I can explain everything you have questions for."

"All my questions are for them," he looked up at Bee, before back to me.

"Well…." I trailed off. "Technically, I'm there boss,"

"What're _you_ ," Sideswipe growled back at him.

There was a low growl behind us, the five of us turning to face a beast like purple con.

"What is _that_!" both Sideswipe and the boy hollered, moving to dodge behind me.

I groaned, focusing all my energy on controlling both forms. I transformed, blasters activating. My human form could see the boy staring up at me in shock, and I turned and smiled at him. Both of my visions were sketchy, but I had taken time to master this skill in my free time on Cybertron. I had acquired it to better teach my kids about the history. "Bee," I called, my human form pushing the kid behind me.

"This isn't happening," the kid repeated.

"Eyyy," Sideswipe called to the thing. "Crazy meeting someone else from Cybertron way out here,"

While he was talking with the thing, I scanned him. I noticed a familiar purple insignia on his chestplates. "Decepticon," I growled, raising my blasters up to him. I looked down to the kid, gesturing for Sideswipe to move back with my bot. "Get ready to roll," I told the two of them as I moved forward. "My name is Ancora Prime. Your designation, please."

"I'm Underbite," he growled, lifting his head. "Heard of me?" he peered, it's stout nose jutting past my frame.

I didn't move, the con obviously trying to intimidate me. _Ha_. "I'm afraid I have not."

"You ever been to Nuon City?"

"I have," I told him. "I was one of the first to arrive after an act of terrorism crashed it to the ground."

" _That_ was me!" He launched his frame at me, and I rolled out of his way. He wrecked into the rock walls, I deactivated my holoform, turning but a moment to yell at Sideswipe. "Go! Get the kid to safety!" I didn't even have to yell to Bee, he was already falling in step. I turned back to the con, raising to my full height, stretching cables I hadn't stretched in _ages_. "Have you heard of _me_ ," I ordered, transforming my servo into a blade.

"Ancora Prime?" he tilted his head to mimick thinking but a moment. "No, I'm afraid not." He charged me again, and I easily sidestepped him.

"I faced both Megatron and Unicron with my bonded, and won. You stand no chance against me. Stand down, this will be your only warning,"

The con quirked an optic ridge at me, before he leaned next to a pile of scrap metal, picking a few of it up with his mighty jaw. The thing glowed a red, before he seemed to grow. "Oh yeah," he panted, sitting on his hindquarters and kissing his biceps. "Beautiful!"

I aimed with my blaster, firing upon him. He turned and darted through the woods, in the same direction that Sideswipe and the kid ran.

"Scrap," I muttered, Bee and Strongarm already chasing after it. I transformed, soaring into the air.

I couldn't help but blame this on me as I soared above the treetops, following the path of broken trunks Underbite left behind. _If I was half the Prime Optimus was…._

" _Cara,_ " Bee called. " _I have a visual._ "

"Why are you telling me?" I protested. "Act! I'll be there soon."

The sun's rays warmed my frame. I felt a presence I hadn't felt since….

"Optimus?" I tested hesitantly.

" _ **Carabelle**_."

My engines cut out for a moment. I slowly pummeled to the ground, a fact that I was aware of but couldn't act on. _Was that…_

* * *

 **I will say this once.**

 **Review for me. I am very flexible with my stories. If you want to see something happen, let me know. I would** _ **love**_ **to add it. Suggestions, ideas, thoughts, all of it. I don't want to add a bunch of stupid author's notes at the end of these, so please just review. I love ya'll. Thanks c:**

 **Shout to Hasbro for creating a wonderful storyline for me to branch off of. I love constructive criticism, so please, don't be afraid to critique. I love y'all, I would love to hear what you think! Thank you all for all of the support that you've given me. I love you!**


	2. Pilot pt 2

" _Carabelle, wait," Optimus' voice stated, my door locking itself. "What is this?"_

 _I sighed, looking out the window. I had him stop directly above my pipe. It was supposed to storm that night, and if I wasn't planning on soaking my only set of clothes. Again._

" _I am homeless, Optimus," I explained, looking into my lap. "I do not have a home,"_

 _He said nothing for a while. I didn't dare move for fear of offending him. Suddenly, the door popped open, and I stared at the steering wheel in shock. Was he?..._

 _I bowed my head even lower, climbing out of his cab carefully. I glanced back at him as the door slammed shut, and I descended down the side of the underpass, preparing myself to never see him again._

 _The sound of metal clashing to metal caused me to whip back around, jumping back a bit as I was met face - to - face with the blue circles of Optimus' eyes._

" _Why did you not inform me earlier?" He softly demanded._

" _Optimus, you'll, be seen," I put off the topic, not wishing to discuss my situation._

" _I have scanned the surrounding area. It is a construction zone, there are no humans around for miles," he reassured me, getting even closer to me. "Why did you not inform me earlier that you had no bed to turn to?"_

 _I bowed my head again, scuffing my feet. "I am not proud of my predicament," I answered softly, a rough edge still clinging to my throat. "I had feared you would… abandon me."_

 _A black, metal object appeared gently underneath my chin. With just the slightest bit of pressure, it forced my head up, my eyes meeting that of the bot's._

" _I will swear to you at this very moment, Carabelle," his face grim, eyes focusing in earnest. "I will_ never _abandon you."_

* * *

" _Cara!_ "

I groaned, grabbing at my helm as I pulled myself up. "Bee?" I returned the comm, the sun's light blinding my optics.

" _Thank the gods._ " he replied, and I cracked a smile as I remembered him picking up that saying from me. " _Cara, there are two decepticon prisoners at large at the moment. One is .. one I know nothing about but he's huge, the other is Underbite, and he's headed straight for Russell's dad's junkyard._ "

"Russell is the kid?"

" _Affirmative_ ,"

I transformed again, this time flying straight up. Once I reached a height, I saw the Chompazoid flattening trees on his path to the junkyard. "Alright, Bee, I'll meet you there. The others will remain with Fixit. Got it?"

It took me no time to find a clearing in the path of the yard and the con. I transformed, my engines allowing me to come to a slow halt in front of the yard. I activated my blasters, taking a defensive stance, and awaiting my enemy's arrival. He appeared out of the trees, transforming from a Cybertronian based vehicle mode to the four legged creature we saw moments ago. He lowered his head, pounding straight for me.

" _ **Carabelle**_ ,"

I froze, unable to move. My mind screamed at my spark, who froze at the sound of my bot's voice calling my name. "Optimus?..." I whispered.

Before the con could ram me through the gates of the yard, a green mass rammed him. I shook out of my stance, following as the two beasts, the other a tyrannosaurus, engaged.

"We got a dance to finish, scrud!" the green stranger shouted defiantly. He was wearing decepticon insignia, however his optics were the same neon blue as my own. _Curious_.

They locked servos, rolling a ways into the yard, surprisingly not crashing into anything. I followed desperately, trying to gain some control over the situation. As they came to a stop they separated, Underbite backing away.

"You're from the prison ship, too," he protested. "I'm not gonna eat the whole planet! Just the crunchy parts. So why are you bothering me?"

"I like to pick on things my own size," he gestured to his frame, which made mine look normal sized. "And just because we rode here together, doesn't make us travel buds," he let out a growl of rage, sending his tail sailing into the assailant, who _caught_ it.

"Well, shit.." I muttered.

Underbite reached beside him, grabbing scrap metal up with his mouth and eating it. His frame glowed again, before he returned to glare at the struggling dinosaur. "Even though we aren't travel buds, have a nice rest of your trip,"

The con threw him in my direction. It just so happened that a content looking human who was listening to some (apparently very loud) headphones walked by. I quickly stepped forward, taking the brunt of the dino's impact before it could crush the human below.

"Who are you?" he asked me as I pushed him off me. He didn't even wait for an answer before he turned to charge Underbite once more.

"I think I could ask you the same thing," I grumbled, pounding at the dents in my frame.

When I finally rose back to my height, I heard Bee yell and turned to face him. "Strongarm, no!" There was a blaster fire, Underbite's snack blowing up inches from his mouth. I cringed as the con turned to face Bee and the cadet, stomping at the ground like a bull. "Go, go, go,"

I groaned, hauling myself to my pedes. I watched as Strongarm and Bee ran from the charging con, the dinosaur bot from before was riding him, delivering a few damaging blows, and Sideswipe was standing protectively in front of a glass building, where there were two humans staring up at him in shock.

"Sir," Strongarm was protesting as I approached them. "I was trained to serve and protect. Not stay put."

"That mousy minicon," Sideswipe made a pacman motion with his servo. "My audio receptors were going to melt,"

I turned to the two scuffling behind us. "Bee, we've gotta get those people away from here,"

He nodded, peering into the doorway of whatever it was they were currently inside. "Human," he demanded.

"Denny," the father responded with.

"Where's the safest place around here?"

"Um…" he thought a moment. "Oh, there's some caves down by the river,"

"Take Russell there," Bee ordered, turning back to his troops. "Sideswipe, Strongarm, you too."

"Sir, I want to help!" Strongarm protested again.

Bee looked to me, but I shrugged it off. "It's on you kid,"

"Teach me," she continued. "Like Optimus taught you,"

I froze, Bee looking to me again. "I have _nothing_ to do with this one."

"I'm not Optimus!" Bee shouted into the sky, his servos clenched in front of him.

"It's too bad," Sideswipe called. "Cause we could _really_ use a Prime right about now."

"Ahem," I cleared my throat.

"Well,..." he kicked the dirt. "The matrix,"

"Outstanding," Underbite called, hauling the dinosaur bot above his helm, like he had won a race. "I was hoping to work in a one rep max," he was straining slightly under the weight of the frozen bot, "But you're the one who's going to feel the burn!" he tossed the bot into the air, tumbling towards the housing that held the human family.

"Brace yourselves!" Bee called, the three of them diving away. I jumped to intercept his flight plan, his frame crashing into mine once more. We barely grazed the metals of the outside walling, the bot ending atop of me again.

"Get off!" I demanded the bot as he lay, sprawled out across me. My right arm was pinned underneath me, while my left was tangled under him. I strained, hard against him. I was panicking, I couldn't see Bee or the others, or the humans, anywhere. I started taking in air I didn't need, my spark thrumming faster and louder.

" _ **Cara**_!"

I froze. This was the _third_ time I've heard him say my name. "Optimus?"

" _ **Cara. Think.**_ "

I paused for a moment, before I twisted so I could see the con. He was muching away on his metal treats, before he paused when he saw the chipmunks loaded in a trailer behind a truck. "I'm saving the rest of you little darlings for dessert," he smirked at them.

A tire rolled by, bringing his attention back to that. He ran after it, chomping onto one of the many stacked on top of each other to make a wall. He pulled it free, devouring it before he peered through the hole it made. I stretched, trying to see around the mighty beast, but couldn't.

He gasped, tail wagging in delight. "A buffet," He jumped on top of the car wall, before got even more excited. "It's hard-body heaven." he transformed, the sound of his motor pulling away. I stretched to see through the hole, my servos screaming in protest as I did.

"Oh no…." I gasped as I saw what was over that wall. _A city_.

"Bee!" I hollered into the scrap yard, hoping to he could find me. I couldn't move my servos, therefore, couldn't access my com link. "Bumblebee? Are you there!?"

"Cara!"

He ran into view, Strongarm and Sideswipe right behind him. "Get him off of me!"

Before anyone could touch him, he rolled off of my frame, jumping into the air before landing in front of me. "Round two!" he called. He turned to watch Bee help me to my pedes, myself glaring at him as I shook my servos awake. "What happened?"

"Underbite tossed you like a lob ball and you landed on An-"

I cleared my throat angrily, giving Strongarm a death glare. She chuckled nervously, before finishing her statement.

"You landed on Cara,"

"Are you hurt?" he asked me.

"Naw," I groaned, stretching my back struts. "I've had heavier on top of me. … Although when he caught my wrists, we were having a lot more fun than that was,"

The bots and the two humans below froze, eyes and optics wide as they registered what I said. Bee just laughed, hugging me close. "I'm glad you're okay, sis,"

"Never better," I grinned, before I dropped my faceplates. "Now, we have a problem." Underbite is headed for the city," I gestured to the shiny metal city beyond the cars. "We need a plan."

"We should call the cops, the army," Russell ran up to me.

I smiled, softly kneeling to face the boy as his dad, I'm assuming, ran up behind him. "No, I'm afraid we can't do that, kid. We cannot allow anymore humans to be involved,"

"Those buildings in Crown city?" His dad protested. "There are tens of thousands of humans in them.

"Don't worry, Denny," I smiled. "I will not allow anyharm to come to those humans, or any humans, as I walk this earth once again,"

"How can you be so sure?"

"I have a plan," I smiled at Bee.

"Just let me transform sir and I'll come with," Strongarm smiled.

"Strongarm, you need to understand." Bee argued once again. "None of you are supposed to be here. Optimus said that this was a mission for me. I brought Cara, because…. It's Cara."

The dinosaur bot transformed, the bot form of his towering above the other two, me not so much. "Well, I want another shot at that muscle head," he demanded, pounding his fist into his palm. I took a second to remember Bulkhead, before I shook the thought.

"You can't let some criminal ride with you!"

"I'm not a criminal!" he argued. He paused, scratching his helm. "At least, I don't think I am,"

"Bet that's what they all say on the prison ship," Sideswipe whispered to me, not taking his eyes off of the bot.

"I'm not letting-"

"I'm going," the bot demanded, moving up on Bee. "And if you don't like it, you can try to stop me,"

"Alright, Bee," I called, stepping beside the two as they stared down. "Bumblebee, listen. We need to get going, and really, they could be of great help,"

"But, Cara," he whined.

"Bumblebee," I growled, his optics shooting away from mine. "What would Optimus do?"

"He wouldn't be in this mess to begin with!"

"But if he was offered help from those eager to, what would he do?"

"Fine," he finally caved.

"I'm going too," Denny called, running for his truck and working on the hitch. "I know a short cut to the bridge."

Bee looked at me and I shrugged. "I always wanted to help you guys. He's a grown ass man, he can do what he wants,"

He sighed, looking at the others. "But no Cybertronian forms. There could be boats on that river, witnesses on the shore. We need to look like something humans need to accept. We need to be robots in disguise,"

It's like that phrase had a whole other meaning as I heard it from Bee. Instead of hanging _with_ the robots in disguise, I _am_ the robot in disguise. I paused, thinking about how well a city would take to a military plane flying around their city so much. "Do you have any other vehicles here?" I asked Denny.

"Do I?" he cheered.

* * *

"Bumblebee to Fixit, come in," Bee called through his comm.

"Fixit it here, sir," the minicon smiled, rolling up towards us, pulling a wagon behind him.

"What're you doing?"

"Answering your call.." he said slowly, setting the handle down. "And I'm supposed to be the one with faulty hiring. Whining, wiring!"

"Nevermind," I argued. "Any process on the stasis cells back at the crash site?"

"Yes, I've repaired one cell,"

"You didn't have to come here to say that," Bee pointed out.

"Oh," he looked disappointed for a minute before grabbing the wagon and wheeling away. "Ohsure, fine, I'll just take these capture devices back to the sip then,"

"Wait!" Bee cried, stopping him in his tracks. "Capture devices?"

Fixit reached into his wagon, tossing a stick at Bee, who caught it. "Just point or throw," he instructed, tossing one behind him to Strongarm.

"So," Bee smiled. "What'd you choose?"

Strongarm grinned widely, before transforming into a large all terrain SUV with police lights on top.

"Alright," I called. "Guys, I've got an idea,"

* * *

Sideswipe pulled out, the trailed full of Underbite's dessert trailing behind him. I soared ahead, flying lower than normal, watching as he headed straight for the beast. Looking ahead, Bee Strongarm and Denny were by the bridge, a very weak Underbite slowly headed their way. The dinosaur bot rushed him, tossing him towards the bots who then pushed him back into the cover of the woods. They battled for a moment, before Underbite got the upper hand.

"Sideswipe, now," I commed. The bots drove directly under the con's nose, Russell sticking his head out the window. I groaned, before I remembered that I would do much of the same thing. He drove away deeper into the woods, the con chasing him. "Bumblebee, they're headed for the quarry. Come on, let's get going."

I dropped to the ground, transforming on my way down. My third form, one I was most proud of. I was a peterbilt, much like the one Optimus had the first time I saw him. My red and blue camouflage sticking with me.

* * *

" _Can I drive?" I asked, looking up to Orion, hopefully._

 _He looked at me curiously. "You know how?"_

 _I sighed. "I know how to drive a stick," I muttered, shying out from under his arm. "But, I wasn't very good at it without practicing for two hours before hand, and I've never driven a semi,"_

 _Orion smiled, wrapping his arms around my waist. He hauled me up onto his lap, the seat scooting forward until my feet touched the petals._

"What's going on, boss _?" Bulkhead called through the comm, the others slowing to a halt around us as Optimus parked._

" _Cara's driving," Orion smiled, guiding my left hand to the wheel and my right to the gearshaft._

 _Bumblebee buzzed excitedly._

 _I felt the clutch and the brake under my feet, testing the break before I pressed the clutch all the way in. I wiggled the shaft a bit, ensuring it was in neutral. Orion relaxed against the seat behind him, his arms falling to the armrests. Shifting into first, I slowly let go of the clutch, eventually moving my right foot to the gas pedal, pushing it slightly as the clutch grabbed a hold and lurched us forward. I laughed, Optimus' engine roaring underneath my hands._

 _Orion groaned underneath me as I shifted into second, the transmission shifting a lot smoother than I was expecting._

" _What is it?" I asked him, hesitantly. Fearing I was doing something wrong, I kept his speed about 25 mph._

" _Absolutely nothing," his baritone rumbled into my neck. He brushed hair to my side, nudging his face into my neck. His arms circled around my waist, before he mumbled "It feels wonderful to let go," I felt his smile broaden against my skin._

 _I bit my lip, ignoring him as I pushed on, shifting all the way up to fifth gear without causing a major riff in the transmission. "Uh… Orion?"_

" _Hmm?" he hummed into my neck, sending shivers down my spine._

" _Where are we going?"_

" _Oh, right," he straightened before I heard his comm activate. "Bulkhead, what is our destination?"_

* * *

Bumblebee let out a roar in fury.

I snapped back into reality as we arrived at the quarry, Underbite dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. Bee got the same idea as I had, leading the others to a charge directly into the con. I joined, my massive form still not making a dent in his movements. "Give it everything you've got!" I called out as Sideswipe joined us.

"This is awesome!" the dinosaur bot cried as Underbite's pedes pushed dort over the edge.

The con somehow managed to wiggle around toward Sideswipe's rear, which still held the little chipmunks. He grabbed one, and ate it. He pushed us all back, our tires screeching as we halted.

But there was one blue truck still up towards the front.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Underbite cheered, turning and grabbing the truck. I transformed quickly, moving to rush him. He held it up, twisting and turning it, Denny inside wincing. "Who's the boss now?"

I froze, glaring at the con. Bee called the others to fall back behind. I ran a dozen scenarios through my mind, all of them coming up in a human casualty. The con took the truck in both servos, pushing the ends together.

"No!" I cried, not wanting to move for fear of Denny being crushed faster.

I was at a stand still. There was no way we were getting out of this one.

Until…

My spark froze as a familiar black servo rested on Underbite's shoulderplates. The black servo was connected to a blue forearm, to a red bicep, to …

He easily threw the con over the edge of the cliff, sending it hollering all the way down. He rose to his pedes, turning around to face us, a little blue truck resting in his servos. Russell ran forward as he set the truck down, Denny running out to greet his son.

I took a few hesitant steps forward, his optics watching my every move. I got within a few feet of him, still not saying a word. My spark was frozen, and I could feel my frame growing cold. I raised a shaky servo, pressing it against his faceplates. It was hard metal, his cheek feeling the same way I could remember. I could feel my systems fighting for the normal human response, engine coolant flooding my optics, dripping out of them as I smiled brightly.

"Optimus,..."

"My Cara,.." he rumbled, his deep baritone shaking my whole world. I laughed as he picked me up into the air, spinning me in a quick circle before he squeezed my frame into his. I started recording the moment, not wanting to miss a single thing. He chuckled as I found a way to nudge into him more, and he gently pressed his lipplates to my forehelm.

"Optimus!" Bee cried, running up beside us. My bot simply adjusted me in his arms, the tightness around me and around him never changing, just so that he could see around me. "You are alive!" he paused a moment, before asking. "Are you alive?"

"That is unclear," he rumbled, his voice vibrating my helm against his chest. "But I do know that I cannot maintain my presence on earth much longer."

"You're leaving me again?" I cried, looking up at him with desperate optics.

"I am afraid so Cara-"

"No!" I demanded, locking my arms around his neck. "No, no you can't! Take me with you, you can't leave me again!"

"Carabelle," he rumbled. "I have never left you. I have been with you every second of every day since that last day I had on Cybertron,"

I laughed softly, wiping coolant from my face. "You mean,... even, in the cold, at your feet?"

He nodded, his demeanor changing. "Why would you live on the streets like that, Cara?"

"I've lived in worse," I argued. "I didn't want to leave your side, Optimus. Do you have any idea how-"

"Yes," he interrupted. "I do. We have a shared spark, everything you feel, I feel. And no one will hate me more than I do for the pain that I have caused you. But there is something more I must do,"

"Something more?" Bee questioned.

"You have found an excellent team," he congratulated Bee, who smiled sheepishly.

"We, uh.." he smiled. "We found each other actually."

"Together, you will confront many challenges. The forces facing earth are immense and formidable. But I am certain you will accomplish great things, as you did today,"

"But we needed your help, Optimus," Bee protested. "We'll always need your help,"

"You are ready to lead, Bumblebee, do not doubt yourself,"

"Will I see you again?"

"I am not certain. The universe has a plan for me, but I do not know what it is. You will prevail, Bumblebee, you must,"

I looked up at him, reaching a hand for his faceplates once more. "Will _I_ see you again?"

"I will never leave you, my Cara," he rumbled.

"Take me with you," I pleaded. "A life wherever you're at is a lot better than one here without you."

"I cannot," he sighed, pressing his forehelm against mine. "Carabelle, your spark must be ready to follow me, neither I nor you can make it."

"Why isn't it ready?"

"No one can be clear, but perhaps because something is coming, and you are needed." he shrugged, inhaling deeply. I closed my optics, remembering everything about this very moment. "I love you, Ancora Prime, Carabelle, my Cara."

"I love you, my Optimus Prime,"

He leaned down to take my lipplates in his own. The kiss was firm, but gentle. I pushed back, pressing my chest plates into his. "I will be with you, always,"

I raised my servos to his helm, feeling his frame pull away from me. I pressed my lips back into his, desperately trying to keep the kiss. I kept my optics closed as I felt him loosen around me. Eventually, my servos clasped into each other, my frame falling forward as there was no one to support me up any longer. I crashed to the dirt, my servos supporting me in the dirt. "No," I breathed, staring at the ground where my Optimus stood moments before. Coolant fell freely from my optics, the air around me tightening. I suddenly needed to breathe, my servos raking at my chest, pulling metal splinters from it. "No!" I cried, desperately panting. "Optimus!" I screamed, my cried echoing in the rocks below.

"Cara!" Bee called, dragging my wrists from my neck. I fought him, but my weakened spark rendering me useless. "Sis, come on," he eased, spinning me onto his lap, cradling me close to his spark. "I know, I know, let it out,"

I broke. My sobs came, hiccuping "No," every couple seconds. Bee rubbed my back, my servos tight in his other servo to prevent me from scratching at my throat again. He rocked slowly, shushing me quietly. I continued to sob, each coming heavier than before. I couldn't get away from the pain, I kept remembering him, his optics, his servos, …

"Optimus…"

* * *

 **Shout to Hasbro for creating a wonderful storyline for me to branch off of. I love constructive criticism, so please, don't be afraid to critique. I love y'all, I would love to hear what you think! Thank you all for all of the support that you've given me. I love you!**


	3. Trust Excersises

Strongarm crashed into the ground, hitting her head hard. I had to stifle a laugh from my position on the ground, watching the bots from a criss-cross position. Bumblebee had decided that since his team was new, the best thing that he could do was do some trust things. I suggested a trust fall, something that was very popular in public schools, and something that I could never bring myself to do with any of my schoolyard "friends."

"Sideswipe!" she growled as she pulled herself up. "You're supposed to catch me. That's the whole point of a trust exercise," she groaned in pain the next moment, grabbing at her audios. "Great, now my comm unit is busted,"

"Oh, sorry," Sideswipe sarcastically apologized. "Maybe when it was my turn, you shouldn't have let me fall three times in a row,"

"That's because you weren't falling correctly."

"Why don't you demonstrate how to fall right, Your Dictatorship?"

Strongarm growled lowly, staring the bot down before rushing him. They started punching at each other, however they were also having some pretty good blocks. I wasn't planning on stopping them yet, but…

"Hey, knock it off!" Bee cried, the two slowing to a stop. "These exercises are important." I almost fell over laughing when the two saw Bee. He was cradled in the massive dinobot (Grimlock) arms, the result of a perfect trust fall.

"Yeah," Grimlock stated. "Why can't you guys take anything seriously?"

"Oh," Bumblebee seemed to realize what his current position was, looking between the bot and the ground nervously. "Uh, yeah, uh, ahem,"

I laughed again, and to my joy the other two bots did as well as Bee climbed out of the massive bot's arms. "If we're going to work together to recapture all the escaped decepticons we _have_ to learn to trust each other."

"I _do_ trust Sideswipe," Strongarm soothed. "To mess up,"

Sides turned around and tackled her, the two wrestling once again. Bee and Grimlock stood stock still, watching as the two in front of them danced. I sighed, pulling myself up. "Guys, guys, guys," I called, grabbing the two by the shoulder plates and pushing them apart. "Bumblebee is right. Trust is a key factor in building a successful team."

"So why aren't _you_ participating in these trust things?" Sides called, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

I laughed. "You really think you can catch me?" I countered him, indicating the size difference.

"I can!" Grimlock cheered.

I rolled my optics, before a comm buzzed through. " _Fixit to Cara, Bumblebee, Strongarm, Sideswipe and Grim-Grim-Grim-_ "

"You know, I can still fix that," I smiled through the comm.

"Go ahead, Fixit," Bee called.

" _Can you circle back to the scrapyard?There's something I need to show you,_ "

"On our way," Bee looked back at us. "Now let's see if we can make it back all in one piece," he transformed and drove off, leaving the four of us behind.

"Don't feel bad," Grimlock smiled to us. "It's not that easy to be a model teammate like me,"

The four of us transformed, myself in my peterbilt, and I let Grim climb aboard before I drove off.

* * *

We gathered at the main communications station, where Fixit spent most of his time monitoring and trying to find the fugitive decepticons. "Search instruments have located a cluster of fugitive signals near here, and it appears there might be some intact stasis pods as well."

Bumblebee vented a sigh. "Some easy captures would be nice," he smiled, leaning back.

I reached over and smacked him upside the head, lightly of course. He turned around to glare at me, and I only narrowed my optics at him. "Don't jinx us," I demanded him.

" _Mayday, mayday!_ " the radio signal picked up across the human chatter. " _This is captain of oil tanker_ Windward, _off coast of Crown City. We are under attack by what seems to be a shark, but it's bigger than I've ever seen, and it looks to be made of metal._ "

"Fixit," I ordered quickly. "Can you search the databanks?"

" _My crew has evacuated to lifeboats, please send assistance immediately!_ "

"The _Alchemor's_ prisoner manifest lists a Sharkticon aboard." he fished around below him, holding out a device that he had given Bee earlier. "Here's your capture device, sir, and it _will_ work this time," he tossed it over his helm to Bee, who caught it with a wayward smile.

"Are you sure?"

Fixit chuckled nervously, plastering a fake smile onto his lipplates. "Not really," he finally said.

Bee vented a sigh again, looking back over to the humans fumbling around with the controls below. "Denny, do you have a boat Denny and I could tow to the water?"

"Take your pick," he almost laughed, gesturing to the pile of boats behind him.

"You and the dinobot?" Strongarm called angrily.

"Grimlock proved to me today that he could be trusted in a field situation that requires teamwork. You two will check out those fugitive signals. Together." During the whole lecture Bee just gave, Grimlock was dancing around behind him, presumingly celebrating his victory. But, as soon as Bee turned around, he was stock still and looking as if he was deep in thought.

"What about Cara?" Sides protested.

"Oh, I'm going with him," I started in that direction.

"She didn't even participate in the exercise!"

I paused, midstep, thinking of all the things I could say to that statement. I thought back to the many adventures I had with Bee, over the past few years on Cybertron, and the years on earth. I smiled at Bee as an idea formed in my head. "Me and Bumblebee go way back, if you'll recall," I stated, fully prepared to leave it at that. It wasn't until Bee froze, and started falling backwards that I reacted. I quickly calculated, while I was moving, that I wouldn't be able to make it to him on time to save him from the fall, so I dived underneath him. I flipped onto my back, encasing my arms around him when he landed. I barely grunted with the landing, flipping over so I was on top of him, and quickly searched his optics. "Bee! Are you alright?"

He simply smiled and stood up, looking at Strongarm and Sideswipe. " _That's_ why Cara doesn't have to do the 'stupid' exercises."

* * *

Flying above the boat that Bee and Grimlock were taking, I followed them out into the water past the city limits. There were a few things wrong with how they were traveling, but I opted to let them figure it out for themselves.

" _Where'd you learn to drive a boat?_ " Grim asked him.

" _I spent a lot of time on this planet, remember?_ " Bee replied, before he paused, looking around him. " _But I'm thinking we're not positioned right….Cara?_ "

I laughed, looking down. The boat's front was sticking straight up into the air, barely half of the rear in it. "Grim, move towards the front. Even your weight out so that _all_ of the boat touches the water,"

As we approached the ship, I scanned it. "No humans onboard, Bee,"

I transformed, landing on the deck as the other two made their way up the side. They paced around the water's edge, looking for any sign of the threat. "No Sharticons in sight,"

"Too bad," Grimlock actually looked highly disappointed. "I was hoping for some punching."

Bee paused, looking over the edge at the ocean. "Earth's bodies of water are incredible, Grimlock. They're filled with more kinds of life than you can imagine."

Before I could even process what he just said, something hit the boat below. It shook gravely, just about knocking me off my pedes. I ran to the side with Bee, peering over just in time to catch sight of a fish - like shadow swimming underneath.

"I can't wait to punch some water life," Grim grinned widely.

It took but a minute for a purple fin to emerge from the water. It rammed itself into the side of the ship again, this time knocking Bee and Grim to the ground. I activated my jet packs, pulling myself just so I was hovering off the floor. Grim pulled himself back up, looking over the edge at the fin. "Excuse me," he laughed, saluting Bee before jumping off the deck into the water.

"Grimlock, no!"

I scoffed, turning back to Bee. "So much for partnership, huh?"

We watched as he transformed, landing on top of the Sharkticon with a thud. He started riding the thing like a bull, laughing as he did.

"This isn't teamwork!" Bee called after him. He started yelling at the stupid weapon that Fixit gave him, before it was knocked out of his servo as the Sharkticon hit the base of the ship yet again.

"Come on, that's all you got?" Grim called below, holding his left servo in the air as the shark swam from side to side.

"Release me, surface creature," the shark demanded, voice strained under the weight of the dinobot aboard him. "I do not wish your vile stench to cling to my exterior!"

"Rude," I commented, watching as the shark dived, Grim finally falling off. "Uh, Bee…" I called, watching as the bot sank. "Does Grimlock swim?"

"Grimlock!" Bee hollered down to him. He turned and ran for his weapon, but the shark lept from the water, sailing above. It transformed, myself falling back to the deck of the ship, smashing Bee's weapon as it did. It towered over Bee, staring him down with a growl. "Kind of wish I was a bigger bot," he chuckled nervously.

I stepped beside Bee, pushing him behind me. The sharkticon stood just a few feet shorter than my Optimus, almost taller than me. "Go help Grim," I gently ordered, transforming my servo into a blade.

Bee nodded, jumping over the edge. "You have forced me to walk on two legs, like some foul land-dweller. How dare you!" he charged me, his servos acting as his weapons. I quickly shielded them off, pushing back against them with my sword. I used his weight against him, using his forward force to fling him over my helm into a pile of storage.

"I'm sorry, hun," I quickly joked. "If I would've known it would bother you so much, I would've joined you in the water." He burst free of the crates, my blade turning to a blaster and firing upon a box he held for protection. "Listen, sharkboy-"

"My name is Hammerstrike!"

"Cybertron's most feared pirate," I thought aloud.

"And soon the ruler of _all_ these planet's seas,"

"Well," I laughed. "I didn't let you take my Optimus' planet. There's no way in _hell_ you're getting _my_ planet's waters." I paused, _Optimus._

" _As even Megatron has demonstrated on this day, every sentient being possesses the capacity for change,"_

I groaned, realizing what I had to do. "Look," I demanded him, lifting my weapon. "Surrender now, or I can whip your ass into shape, then when my partner's return you'll get a beating,"

Without hesitation the con chucked crates at me. One connected with my face, the other my chest, sending me flying backwards and onto the ground. Hammerstrike laughed, moving towards me carefully. "Surrender to the like of you? I would never be able to show my fins in the Gorgian Depths again!" He charged for me again, and I weakly raised my blaster. My vision was blurry, my head pounding.

A yellow streak kicked the con in the side, sending him crashing into a metal banister in the middle. "I'm sure that'll leave a big hole in your social calendar," he joked, grinning. "But we're still bringing you in!" He peered over the edge as I peeled myself up and off the floor. "Anytime now Grimlock,"

As the thing attacked Bee, I slowly made my way closer to it's back. I eventually lept onto his tail, grabbing hold and not letting go for the world. The con yelped like I was killing him, remaining absolutely still. "Release me! You are not fit to grab my tail!"

"Guess you got beat afterall," Bee smiled, pointing a blaster at the con.

Suddenly, a familiar sound took over my audios. Bee and I turned to see red and blue flashing lights, the sound of a siren coming from them. "Coast Guard?"

The tail swept me off my feet, knocking me into Bumblebee. The con grabbed us both by the chestplates, lifting us off our pedes and into the air. "Even in your element, I am your superior. Do not pursue me, or I shall prove it again," he threatened, He shoved us back down into the deck, before jumping over the side of the boat, transforming before he hit the water.

I groaned, looking back over the edge. "Where's Grim?"

Bee pointed below, before activating his comm. "Grimlock, can you hear me? Can you get to shore?"

* * *

I transformed out of my peterbilt, the boat halting behind me as Bee did the same. The junkyard was quiet, and Bee turned to Fixit, the only bot in sight. "Where is everyone?" he asked.

"Well, let's see. Denny Clay went for supplies, Cadet Strongarm and Sideswipe are still out on assignment, and .. I'm not sure where young Russell is. So, how'd your mission go?"

It was that moment that he passed us, grim as can be, soaked with water. His pedesteps were heavy and saddened , a sight that broke my spark. "Well," Bee sighed. "Grim got a bath out of it,"

"Tell me more about sharticons so I can tell where this one may go next," I asked Fixit with large optics.

"Huh, let me see…" he started typing away at his computer, mumbling about things that weren't comprehensive.

I rolled my optics, waiting a minute more before leaning over to Bee, smiling at him. "I'm going to check on Sides and Strongarm, are you okay with that?"

He shook his helm, and I ran down the only somewhat clutter-free spot of the scrap yard. I transformed, soaring through the air gently. "Fixit," I called through my comm. "Do you have their coordinates?"

" _I'm sorry but I do knock - rock - not!"_

"You know I can still fix that for you," I smiled, scanning the area below for any sign of the two missing bots. Through a small clearing in the trees, I saw a familiar blood red car. "Bingo,"

I transformed, hovering above for a minute before I landed next to an old ranger station. There was an old tow truck, and a pile of neon paint sitting beside the house.

"Cara," Russell smiled, walking up to me.

"You brought the human with you?" I scolded the red car for a minute, before I looked around. "Where's strongarm?"

"That's what we were hoping you'd tell us," Sideswipe smiled sheepishly.

I looked down at Russell, knowing that Sides would chicken out. "What happened?"

"They got in another argument so they split."

I groaned, turning back to the car. "You abandoned your partner to investigate stasis pods who were containing Cybertron's most gruesome decepticons?"

"Hey," he transformed.

"Save it," I looked at the ground around my peds. "The hell happened here?"

"That's what we were looking at," Russell smiled, running towards the front of the truck. "It looks like its been thrown around, and look," he held up the chain to me. "It looks like this chain was longer,"

I knelt down to it, narrowing my eyes to look closely. "There's usually hooks on the end of towing chains,.."

I rose back up, looking around. "Let's keep looking," I transformed into my Peterbilt, pulling forward. Russell climbed into Sideswipe, the red car following behind.

" _It won't matter if we find Strongarm,_ " Sides complained to me. " _Shell still treat me like scrap,_ "

"Sides," I sighed. "There's an old earth saying. 'You have to give respect before you receive it,'"

" _One of you just has to take that first step_ ," Russell added.

We drove out of the opening, back into the trees. Once we got deep into the woods, something… Wasn't right. I slowed to a stop, cutting my engines, confirming my suspicions.

Sides transformed behind me, Russell coming up to my door. "What is it?" The human asked me.

"Sh, listen," I transformed, bending down onto one knee. "The birds. They're quiet."

"So?" Sides complained, flicking a tree branch out of his face.

"The birds won't chirp if there's a predator around." I explained, crouching low to peer through some bushes.

"You still don't understand," a low, raspy voice called sneakily. I peered up, before I crouched down low again. I gestured for the other two to get down, Sides joining me the next second. "I want to help you. I'm sorry I lied. I didn't know if I could trust you," underneath a wooden shelter, an off colored blue not crouched over whatever he was talking to. "Yes, I am a decepticon, but I've changed." He pulled back, revealing who it was that he was talking to.

Strongarm, wrapped in the same chain that was snapped off of the tow truck. "Into a kidnapping decepticon!?" she yelled back, defiantly staring at him.

"I apologize for the things I've done, but I can never go back to Cybertron. I'd be locked up again, just as you tried to jail me, before I could explain anything!"

"The Prime is a gentle, understanding one," Strongarm protested. "She's understandable, forgiving, easy to talk to. I'm sure if you two could talk it out-"

"Even if I could, I wouldn't be able to make it through Cybertron without someone catching me…"

"You don't have to. She's here on Earth with my team!"

The con snarled, turning to face her with a glare.

"I don't trust him," Sides whispered to me. "He's too cool. Kinda reminds me of someone,"

"So, what do we do now?" Russell looked up to me. I shushed him again, straining my audios to hear the two speak.

"If I was half the criminal Strongarm says I was back on Cybertron, I'd just walk away," I rolled my optics, crouching lower to listen to them speak.

"I'd love to meet the rest of your team!" The con was saying. "How many are you, and where are you based?"

I flinched, prepared to jump the bushes when Strongarm caught herself before she could reveal any information. "How do I know this isn't a trick?"

"Pssst," I turned to see Sideswipe in the cover of the trees, a decepticon insignia painted on his chest with glow in the dark paint. "I've got a plan,"

* * *

"I see you've found an Autobot," Sides rasped in a deep voice. "However, I think I have the bigger prize,"

I felt a hard shove on my left shoulder plate, and it took everything I had to ignore every natural instinct to brace my fall with my servos. They were classes tightly behind my back to give off the illusion of a bond prisoner. I groaned with the fall, glaring behind me with all of the hatred that I could muster. "Bee will find you," I growled behind me. "And when he does, you're going to be in more than you can handle."

Sides let out an evil laugh, rumbling the noise from his belly.

"Greetings, brother," the other con in front of Strongarm sneered, moving towards us. I rolled onto my back to hide the lack of bonds on the servos. "Im Steeljaw, and you are?"

Sides' optics dashed to me desperately. I arched my back, looking behind me to meet Steeljaw's peds. "Wait until Bee gets here all of you! You'll all be regretting it!"

Sides let another laugh, narrowing his optics at me. "We'll see about that, sweetspark."

Steeljaw snarled, turning back to Sides. "Step into the light and join me, brother,"

"So...Steeljaw. Why is your mark scratched up?"

"I destroyed it," he stated proudly, turning to display it to us. "And its tracking beacon. The Autobots mustn't capture me before I have reformed that I want to live here now ; peacefully."

"I can promise you one thing," I growled. "Keeping Strongarm - let alone me - hostage will NOT win Bumblebee's trust. If you truly want peace, let. Us. Go."

"What's your name, brother?"

"Uh...Grim..bee," Sides stalled, looking wide opticed.

"Tell me more about yourself, Grimbee," Steeljaw snarled. "How were you captured?"

There was a clanking behind us, at Strongarm's position. Steeljaw turned and snarled, and I arched up to see Russell finally unlocking the chains that bound her.

"Run!" I ordered him desperately. He went to run, but the con stopped him with his pede.

"What are you?" he groaned, peering down at him. "Beside's strange?"

"Look who's talking," the boy yelled back, bringing the rod he held back like a bat.

Russell ran through Steeljaw's legs, the con bending down to peer after him.

"Don't go near him, _brother_ ," Sides warned, still hidden in the darkness.

"Treachery," he chuckled. "How like you autobots," the two charged, meeting in the middle. I stood, Strongarm struggling on the ground on her chains.

"Sideswipe, Russell!" I demanded. Steeljaw growled, charging the bot, who turned tail and ran. I groaned as the two left the clearing, turning to Strongarm. I quickly unwrapped the layers of chain, helping her to her pedes. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she vented a sigh. "I'm so glad I caught myself there…"

"You and me both,"

The sound of approaching pedesteps silenced us, Strongarm pushing me behind her. Sideswipe winked at us, ducking just as he was about to smack into us. Steeljaw was right behind him, Strongarm delivering a round kick, knocking him into a tree. Said tree began to topple over, right in Russell's path. I quickly dived to him, rolling him into my servos, the tree crashing just as I passed. I set him down, running a scanner over him. "Everything alright?" Strongarm asked as she and Sideswipe joined us.

"Good on my part," I reported, turning to face Steeljaw.

But he was gone.

"I have a feeling we're gonna see that con again,"

"I hope so,"

* * *

As we rolled back to the base, I let Russell out before I transformed. Fixit beamed up at us. "Cadet Strongarm, you're alright!"

"Why wouldn't she be?" Bumblebee asked, making his way over to us, Grimlock beside him carrying a large oil barrel, Denny approaching in his own off shade blue truck.

"What'd I miss?" The human asked, sticking his head out the window.

"I was having a little communications difficulty," Strongarm reported to Bee. "Nothing serious,"

I smiled, as Bee brushed over it like nothing. "Anything to report?"

"We found some open pods, sir, _and_ a decepticon."

"Call's himself Steeljaw," Sides cut in. "Says he wants to live peacefully on this planet with like-minded decepticons, but he got unpeaceful with us pretty quick,"

"Especially when I showed up," I moved to stand by Bee. "I have a feeling he's going to be a bigger problem in the future."

"Can't wait to meet him," Grimlock called from behind, holding out the oil barrel. "I'll put this one away, _and_ I'll do it gently,"

I turned to Bee as Grim walked away, the two of them obviously being much more successful than when I was with them. "If he's lying about being peaceful, we could be looking at an entire army going after my planet, _again_ ,"

"You've sacrificed enough for my planet, Cara," Bee assured me with a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I will never allow any harm come to yours after what you did for mine," he turned back to the two bots. "All the more reason to wrap these fugitives up fast. I'll have Fixit prep a report on Steeljaw's background. He's now at the top of our most wanted list,"

"He seemed to have some kind of. … vendetta against me, Bee," I looked down at him with a sigh. "I don't remember everyone I've encountered on Cybertron, good or bad,"

"I wouldn't worry about it too bad, Cara," Bee assured me again. "Good intel newbies. Apparently I _can_ send you into the field together." he walked away, moving towards Fixit.

"Thanks Russell," Strongarm thanked the kid as Sideswipe stared daggers into her. "You really saved my spark back there,"

"Uh…. you're welcome?"

" _What_? Hey, I put my gears on the line for you too!"

"Sideswipe…" I warned.

"Fine!" he growled, walking away. "You're never gonna-" his pede slipped in a pile of mud on the ground, sliding backwards. Strongarm quickly reached out, grabbing ahold firmly.

"Thanks," she told him as he was still in her arms. "And don't get cocky." she stood him up, before gently walking away. "Thank you too, Cara," she told me as she disappeared.

"That first step we talked about in the woods," Russell called up to him. "I think it's been taken."


	4. More Than Meets The Eye

Russell looked across the river through an old circus telescope he found in the masses of scrap. I zoomed my optics, following his line of sight to a running amusement park across the way. I hung back, looking to be doing anything _other_ than listening to a young boy.

"My old friends," he sighed deeply, pulling away and shrugging as a roller coaster sipped down a hill. "Fun, excitement. So close, yet so far,"

"You know what I did for fun when I was the only conscious bot on the prison ship?" Fixit wheeled up to him with a broad smile across his face. "Nothing! And _lots_ of it!"

I groaned, facepalming as Russell sighed again, slowly climbing down the ladder. "Fixit," I groaned. "That didn't help any hun,"

"I know a cure for boredom," Denny asked, wiping his hands clean of his latest toils. "There's a football field down the road where the neighborhood kids play. Why don't you go check it out?"

"Sorry, dad, no helmet," he chuckled softly.

I almost laughed as I watched Denny work his gears. He finally smiled, a lightbulb going off.

* * *

"Bee, I see him!" I called through my comm, circling above a green golf course. "He just emerged from the pond near hole four,"

" _On our way_ ,"

Sure enough, three cars and a running dinobot charged at the new con, himself looking at them in fear. He turned to run backwards, away from them, but I transformed, dropping to the ground below. I almost felt terrible as the layers of grass upturned with my landing. … almost.

The con vented a sigh, turning to see Grimlock charging at him at full speed, the other bots close behind him. He released a blue beam from his frame, it's surging energy connecting with the dinobot, sending him into Sideswipe. Grim groaned, picking himself up off of the ground, Sides groaning underneath him in the patches of dirt.

The con cheered, throwing his fists into the air. "Four more autobot take downs and I will own the record!"

Bee and Strongarm stood in front of him blasters trained on his position. "Hate to ruin your day, Bisk," Bee taunted with a small smile as I activated my own blasters behind him. "But that one you just threw down was actually a Dinobot,"

The con looked around, rolling his … estranged optics for a moment. "Fine," he finally stated, as if it was a chore. "But I can still _tie_ the record." He released his beam again, it connecting with Bee and Strongarm, sending them flying backwards again.

I released my fire, my jet packs taking me into the sky above him. I fired down as Sides ran forward. I smiled as I watched the little red bot dodge the shots with the beams, my aim hitting the area surrounding the con, it barely sidestepping to avoid my shots. I dropped to the ground as the two of them began hand to hand, and I joined in. "Double defense mode!" he cheered. "I am a master at this!"

Grimlock growled beside me, and I hesitated just a moment to watch as he approached. The con seemed to see that, connecting with my chest plates. He knocked me backwards, myself skidding to a halt beside where Bee and Strongarm were picking themselves up off the ground.

"I helped save the universe from Starscream, Megatron and Dark Energon. I refuse to becom the laughing stock of some Bug - eyed bot's gaming club,"

"Bumblebee," I eased as Strongarm helped me to my pedes. "Analyze. Don't just jump into a situation."

He paused, staring at me for a moment, before activating his comm. "Sideswipe! Cascade with Strongarm and me! Grimlock, splash down maneuver, go!"

I hung back as the bots charged forward. Bee and Strongarm fired upon the creepy bot, it easily deflecting the blasts. What he didn't see was Sideswipe flip into the air. He came down, hard, connecting with his faceplates. He grunted as Sides landed, turning to face our bot with a glare. "You think I don't know how to beat this attack?" he challenged, his voice filled with anger. "It's just up, up, left, down, claw, claw,"

I laughed as Grim charged behind him, his mighty pedsteps shaking the earth beneath us. The thing twisted his optics behind him as Grimlock cheered "Cannonball!"

When the dust settled, the con was pinned tightly underneath Grim.

"You are _so_ under arrest," Strongarm smiled.

"Score one more for us," Bee beamed at me as I approached them. "Let's get him into a stasis cell,"

* * *

I smiled from Bee's pedes, listening to Grimlock as he told a detailed story of how the lobster con was defeated. I couldn't help but notice a certain boy was missing, and I nudged Denny in the back.

"Did he go to the field?" I questioned him with a soft smile.

"Yes he did," he cheered with a grand smile. "He should be back any minute!"

"Gosh I'd love to get out in the field. In a strictly non confrontational manner, of course." Fixit smiled, looking up at me.

"Rule 669-B," Strongarm read off of a page she summoned. "'Minicons must remain at their duty stations at all times,'"

"Doesn't seem like you were built for the tough-stuff anyway," Sides smiled down at him.

"Sideswipe," I called, running my nose with my finger and thumb. "Need I remind you, before we came to my home, you destroyed my favorite statue of my Optimus in one of your stunts?"

He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck. Fixit looked around at us bots, before sulking. "Well, e-excuse me." as he pulled away, Russell appeared in my view.

Denny walked up to him with a big smile. "How'd it go?"

"They've all been playing together a very long time," Russell sighed.

There was a chime of a bicycle bell, and a girl's voice calling out for Rusty.

I groaned, turning away from the others and lifting myself was too much going on at once, it was hurting my processor. I moved to the far opposite wall, dropping down beside a few cars. I pulled my knees to my chest, resting my cheek on them and offlining my optics. The wind picked up a bit, running through the cracks in my armour and brushing my protoform. I sighed, leaning back against the wall behind me, looking up into the sky above.

 _Optimus_ …

* * *

 _I stretched my limbs out, gently caressing the wall of the cab of the semi I rested in. The soft body beside me stirred, himself opening his neon blue eyes to look at me thoughtfully. I smiled up at him as I sighed in content, calling my limbs back to me and cuddling close to the embrace I was offered._

" _Good morning, Orion," I mumbled, burying my face into his chest as his arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me close._

" _Good morning, Carabelle." he rumbled in return, laying a feather-light kiss to my hair._

 _I playfully pushed against his chest, shoving him away from me and into the cab's wall. "That's not my name," I argued angrily, laying a string of light punches into his hard skin._

" _On the contrary," he chuckled, easily deflecting the punches and grabbing hold of my wrists, pulling me in close. "That is the name you were given; therefore it is the name I shall call you," I struggled against his grip, failing miserably. I pushed back away from him, wedging my foot underneath the seats, using them to pull back against him. "Carabelle," his voice laced with amusement. "You do realize that you have no chance against me?" He pulled my wrists together, grasping them both into one single hand. His free arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me close to him despite my struggle. "I am the leader of the autobots, I have fought centuries of battle, I think I am capable of keeping a single human femme prisoner." he rumbled dangerously, smirking broadly at me, myself still struggling against his hold._

" _You," I strained out as my head angled towards his eyes. "Are a fragger,"_

" _Strong words for one in a position such as you are," he mused, kissing my forehead lightly._

 _I pulled back against the seating again, but was surprised when I felt a leather strap run around the both of my ankles, tightening around them. I looked back as my newly found restraint pulled up, lifting my feet into the air. If it wasn't for the death grip a certain dork had on my wrists and around my shoulders, I would've planted my face into the ground._

 _I shot daggers at the bot holding me still. "_ That _is cheating."_

 _Orion smiled as Optimus' voiced echoed through the speakers. "I, Optimus Prime, am not a cheater,"_

" _I just simply...win," Orion smiled next, wrapping me tighter into his body. I struggled uselessly against him, trying to free myself. "Does she surrender?" he nuzzled my neck, his hot breath sending shivers down my spine._

" _Never," I growled in the same tone I'd heard Optimus use against the decepticons._

" _Hmmm…" his baritone vibrated against my skin. "I do believe that is the wrong answer,"_

 _Before anything more could be said, an alarm echoed throughout the base. Orion growled, staring me down. I grinned innocently at him, for once thankful for the alarm. "This isn't over," he told me sternly, releasing me and transforming._

* * *

I vented a deep sigh, looking at the stars. "Optimus," I whispered softly, feeling the tension build up in my throat's cables.

"Cara!"

I forced a cough, the tightness in my throat disappearing as Bumblebee slowed to a stop, taking in my frame. "Yes?" I asked, pushing myself up to my pedes.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," I dismissed sternly. "What is-"

"Carabelle," Bee demanded, laying a servo on my shoulder plates.

I huffed, looking at Bee annoyed. "I was thinking of Optimus, now can you tell me what distraction you have for me or can I go back to being depressed?"

"We have a decepticon,"

* * *

I scouted ahead, flying high above the military base below as the others waited in the trees above. "Bee," I called. "He must've hidden himself in one of the bases, I can't see him,"

" _Split up,_ " he ordered as Sideswipe and Strongarm followed him inside of the fense. " _If any of you spot the fugitive, comm the rest of us with the position._ "

It only took Bee a moment before he paused. I transformed, hovering for a split second as Bee reversed to rest in front of one of the hangars. I quickly but quietly dropped, slowly moving to the edge of the door, listening as Bee did the same.

"There you are, ya little beauty," he cheered.

Bee transformed, walking forward, blaster raised. "Play time's over," he shouted.

"Do you really think you can take us all on, copper?"

"I know I can take you, decepticon," he paused, his optics widening, blaster dropping. "Wait, did you say 'us'?"

I moved in front of the doorway to face the con with Bee. I got there in time to see the thing encase itself in purple sparks, five separate spider looking things moving towards the two of us. I raised my blaster, connecting with one of them, however two more jumped ontop of me. Two jumped on Bee, knocking us both onto our backs. They released shocks of electricity through our frames, my circuits overloading as my optics offlined. I could hear Bee fighting beside me, and I struggled to move past the stinging these little demons were causing.

* * *

 _He transformed around me, this time I ended in his chest. I heard the shot and felt the impact, and the groaning as Optimus fought to stop it. A loud crash of a window was heard, and everything was quiet for a while._

 _Then, electricity crackling._

 _Something struck Optimus in the neck, and blue pulses of electricity surrounded me. I felt just the lightest shock, however, as a different blue light surrounded me protectively. It pulled me toward the second of the blue orbs in his chest, hugging me close to it._

 _I heard Optimus groan in pain as the electric soared through him. "C… Cara!" He called, a bang heard on his chest._

 _The electric stopped and I took the moment to yell. "I'm alright!" I told him, cradling the blue spark close to me._

 _I felt him take a few steps, then collapsing on the ground. The collapsed jarred me, his spark… Holding? Me closer. A foreign object landed on his back, more electricity coursing through him. He groaned in pain once more, the electric ceasing only after he fell silent, limp on the ground._

…

 _Optimus' spark reacted strongly to my touch, and I could feel him waking. He groaned, his frame shivering. He pushed himself up, and I heard the faint sound of electricity cracking again._

 _He flipped over, a loud_ clang _as I assumed he punched or kicked his assailant._

 _I felt him slowly push himself to his feet, the electric shock having overcharged some of his main systems._

" _Cara!" He called worriedly._

" _I'm alright Optimus!" I told him._

* * *

Two separate headlights shined on Bee and I as we struggled to get the little fuckers off. They transformed, bringing their weapons forward. "Having a little trouble, boss?" Sideswipe joked, pulling his blade free.

Bee grunted in pain once more as I through one of the little bastards away from him. "See how funny it is after they sting you!" The one I threw jumped back on me, knocking me into Bee as they continued their shocking surprise. Two left their attacks on us, jumping for the two new bots. I reached for Bee's blaster which was laying on the ground, when I was paused by an explosion of the wall behind us.

Twisting, I saw it was no explosion, just Grimlock.

One left me, jumping on Grim's face, knocking the green bot to the ground.

"Oi," one called after jumping from me and onto a nearby plane. "Bring it in," the others left their position as I struggled to bring my circuits back into working order. They crawled over me, through the new hole in the wall. I brought myself to follow, only to be knocked down again when my legs refused to do as my processor ordered. Bee passed my, running out the hole after them.

"Scrap!" I heard him call as Strongarm and Sideswipe ran past me. "Who is this bot?"

I pulled myself up to my knees, holding my head as my optics flashed again. "Bee," I called desperately, struggling not to topple over again.

I felt servos on my shoulders, steadying me. "I'm here, Cara," he promised, allowing me to lean on him as I lifted myself into the air. "I have you,"

* * *

Back at the base, I recalibrated my sensors as the others gathered around the control station. Fixit pulled up his file, preparing to give a report.

"He's a combiner named Chop Shop," he pointed at the screen. "A one-man heist crew with a list of crimes as long as Alpha Trion's beard." he paused, turning to Bee. "HAve you seen that beard? It's more like a steel carpet actually. The way he just -"

"So Chop Shop's a thief," I interrupted. "And he's bringing his tricks to earth,"

"I smacked - wacked - hacked into the local law enforcement database, and found a list of property stolen within an appropriate radius. At first there didn't seem to be a pattern, you know, copper wire, kerosene, space heater, insulation, storage tanks, computer chips, and now an aircraft gyroscope,"

"But if you add them together, there's only one thing he'd be building with all these parts,"

"A spaceship," Bee called, jumping aboard finally.

"He wants off planet!" Strongarm also realized, looking up at Bee.

"Can't say I blame him," Sides mumbled. I quickly searched the ground beside me, picking up an old metal sign and hurling it at him. It bounced off his chest plates, barely phasing the bot, but still he looked at me with wide optics.

"Chop Shop appears to have everything he needs except fuel,"

"A manufacturing planet in the next county synthesizes liquid oxygen," Denny provided. "Security's tight, though. Too tight for over sized aliens to just walk up too,"

"So we don't send in the aliens," Bee offered, turning to look at me. "We send in a holoform,"

I chuckled nervously, looking back at Denny's disappointed face. "I don't think he was meaning me, Bee," I sighed.

Bee groaned, giving me a 'are you serious?' look. I nodded, and he straightened his shoulders, turning to face him. "Denny, would you be up for-"

"Yes!"

"Fixit," I called, transforming and activating my holoform. "We may need your tech expertise as well,"

"Me?" he chuckled nervously.

"You said you wanted to be in the field." Bee smiled.

"Though it is against regulations," Strongarm argued again.

"Good thing you have the Prime here to say it's alright then, huh?" I laughed, transforming into my peterbilt. "I can get us in, and if anything goes wrong I'll fly us out," My holoform stepped out of the cab, dressed in a blue camo naval uniform, my cap tucked under my arm as I pulled my long, black hair up in a tight bun. Denny grinned, running off to get his own costume. Bee looked down at me, offering me his servo.

"It's weird seeing you like this again, sis," he smiled, softly poking my stomach.

I smacked at his digit with my hat, before fitting it securely on my head. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind going back," I sighed deeply, looking down as I thought of my Optimus again.

* * *

" _You are_ so _protective." I folded my arms in front of my chest, leaning into his seat. "I am perfectly safe with you, Optimus!"_

" _But that does not mean you may accompany me on_ every _mission!" He protested. "They are dangerous and I will_ not _put you at unnecessary risk!"_

" _Optimus, I want to spend_ time _with you."_

" _We spend every minute on base together."_

 _I scrunched my face at the mirror. "That's not the same as_ alone _time." Through the rocks, I could see the flashing of a pair of headlights. "There he is."_

 _Optimus blared his horn as he caught up with the same red speed demon from the night before. He bumped into him slightly, the much smaller car veering off, spinning into a ditch nearby. Optimus transformed, myself landing in his hand, then resting on his shoulder plates the next second. I tucked myself in so he wouldn't have to worry about me falling._

"Optimus _," Arcee's voice carried through the open Comm as Optimus approached the vehicle frantically trying to reverse out of there. "_ Knockout has a hostage _."_

" _Understood." he responded flatly._

 _He grabbed hold of the cons bumper, lifting him with ease straight into the air. I watched in astonishment as Optimus ripped the drivers side door off, the con letting out a groan of pain. He reached in, tugging a small boy out. The car transformed out of Optimus' hand, staring at his forearm that was missing a valued piece of metal._

" _Ah! Do you know how hard that is to replace!?"_

 _Optimus stared the con down, the other Autobot's approaching behind us. The red optics met mine, narrowing slightly, then he transformed, driving away quickly._

" _Well…." I laughed. "He doesn't seem to happy."_

* * *

" _Sideswipe and I are in low profile spots outside the plant, Strongarm,_ " Bee reported in. Denny and Fixit were entering the base from the main entrance with Strongarm while I was entering through the loading docks on the backside of the base. " _We'll move in for the collar as soon as you and Cara flush out Chop Shop._ "

" _Copy that,_ " Strongarm replied. " _I will not forget to flush,_ " I laughed, down shifting as I got closer to the guarded gate. I rolled my window down, reaching to turn down the music.

The guard who was at the gate had a glum look on his face, and he looked even more aggravated that he actually had to do something. "Chief Petty Officer Prime, here," I flashed a smile to him, bashing my neon blue eyes.

"Why are you driving this big rig?" he asked, knocking his knuckles against my frame.

"I used to own a beauty like this one," I trailed off, thinking of my Optimus. "He was the same style, only red with blue trims. He was a beaut… so when boss said he needed a transport, I volunteered. Gets me off the ship for a while,"

He nodded, looking behind me at the trailer. "What're you hauling?"

"Oxygen tanks, sir,"

He nodded again, patting the metals beside my door. "Proceed,"

"Thank you kindly," I saluted, shifting into gear before I paused and looked at him. "You don't mind if I wait to unload in the morning? It's been a long night…. I'll just sleep in the sleeper in the back, get out only to stretch my legs and check the shipment?"

"Sure, just don't wander too far. _My_ boss may not like that idea,"

"Thanks," I saluted again, pulling forward. I backed to the bay, and searched around for the others.

I spotted them, pulling forward slowly. I climbed out of my cab, shutting the door gently as I moved back to the trailer. I opened the doors, the empty crates with a cover working to be the cargo. I left one door slightly ajar, and moved back towards Strongarm. She braked suddenly, and I turned to scan the area.

"Contact _,_ " she reported. I jogged slowly beside her, looking at her view. There were the five little devils loading fuel into a nearby tanker.

"Chop Shop is making a run for it!" I called, running towards the little bugs as they started the truck, and disconnected the hose. I followed closely behind Strongarm, pulling out the weapons from my earlier days on earth. I aimed for the little bastards, connecting with one of them as Strongarm battled the other.

The rest of them combined, however with Strongarm holding one down, he was left without an arm. "Righty, you no good widget." he called in what sounded like an Australian accent. "What am I supposed to do now?"

He turned to face Denny and Fixit, the latter of the two cowering behind a jacket. "No!" I hollered, running full throttle for the minicon. The larger con simply flicked me aside, myself tumbling out of the way. As I recovered, I watched him pick up the minicon and jam him into the port that was once his arm.

"I'm not even supposed to be here!" Fixit complained.

"Hang on, Fixit," Strongarm called as I deactivated my holoform. The con watched me curiously as the peterbilt behind where I was once standing transformed. I walked up to him, taller than he was, glaring him down.

He quickly turned and punched Strongarm off his missing limb with Fixit. "That's going to leave a mark," the minicon called, looking at Strongarm with concern.

I charged the con, tackling him to the ground and wrestling him. I struggled to not harm the minicon, but as he was acting as the con's right hand, it was a battle.

"Righty," he demanded of the other little spiderbot. "Take the wheel,"

I groaned, activating my holoform to chase the little shit as he climbed into the truck. I grabbed onto the driver's side door, struggling with the handle for a moment. Using both forms extensively took a toll, and I was slow to deflect Chop Shot's blow. Another one, with Fixit, connected with my faceplates, knocking me down. The truck rolled by, and I put everything I had into getting that damn door open. Chop Shop jumped onto the truck as it passed, my holoform finally opening the damn door.

"They're coming your way, Lieutenant," Strongarm called as the truck smashed through a barrier.

I groaned, my holoform disappaiting as it traveled further away from my frame. As it finally was gone, I lifted myself up, grabbing at my helm. Denny Clay looked up at me, worry sprayed across his face. "I'm fine," I grumbled, transforming into my jet. I opened to cockpit, inviting the human to board me. "You coming?"

He climbed in and I flew after the con, the others driving along the road underneath me.

" _Sideswipe, Strongarm_!" Bumblebee ordered below. " _Get on Chop Shop's left flank. We'll try a pincer maneuver._ "

"You want me high or low, Bee?"

" _Low!_ "

"Denny…" I warned, lowering myself to the ground. "I hope you don't have motion sickness," I transformed, taking great care to watch where Denny was positioned. I turned into my Peterbilt, landing on my wheels and crashing into the ground. I wrapped a seatbelt around the human, hugging him tightly to my leather as I shifted into a higher gear, my big rig catching up to the flashy sports cars in an instant.

The con kicked at Sideswipe, who spun uncontrollably into Strongarm and I. We both quickly fanned out, avoiding the spinning death, and sped up to catch up again. He quickly regained control, following behind us quickly. The con sneered back at us, his four optics narrowing as he raised Fixit in the air, the truck traveling under a bridge.

"Fixit!" I called, watching helplessly as the minicon was drug through the cement of the bridge above. I didn't notice the debris falling on top of us until it was too late. I steadied my frame, being sure that Denny wasn't crushed inside me.

* * *

" _Lord Megatron, look," Starscream pleaded, pointing in my direction. I froze, not taking my eyes off those of Megatron's as he turned to see me._

" _Well... " he laughed, rising a little higher. "Optimus' pet,"_

 _I paled, remembering Optimus' words._ I should've listened _._

" _Cara!" Arcee jumped in front of me, wrapping her servos around me protectively, as she leaped behind another rock wall as Megatron's shots rained down upon where I had been standing not ten seconds earlier._

" _Stay down!" she ordered, leaning around the wall, blasters charging and ready. Megatron blasted at the wall as Jack wrapped his arms around me, cradling my head underneath his chest._

" _Starscream, you dare abandon me!?" I heard the warlord cry out as jet engines rocketed out of the mine. Multiple shots rang out, but none of them hitting the wall. Arcee's blaster let off a couples shots, Megatron's following closely behind. Then, the rumbling of the rocks._

" _The roof is collapsing!" I hollered to Jack, who only wrapped his arms tighter around me._

Oh, I should've listened.

* * *

Bumblebee and Sideswipe strained against a rock that was pinning me down. I quickly transformed, checking the well being of the human in my clutches.

"Can't win them all," Sideswipe grumbled as Strongarm pulled forward.

"We haven't lost yet," Strongarm demanded. "First rule of perp identification: memorize your suspects tire tracks," she highlighted the ground, a specific tread pulling up from the pavement.

We transformed again, following Strongarm as she followed the tracks.

"So…" Denny Clay began after a moment of silence.

"Yes?" I questioned, my engine rumbling at the back of the line.

"What's your story?" he asked, looking at my radio with a puzzled look on his face. "The others act as if you're… royalty, or something. May I ask?"

I sighed, activating my holoform to sit in the passenger seat. My hair was long and ratted, my clothes torn and tangled. Denny looked at me curiously, as I sighed. "This is what I was like when I first met the autobots," I told him, sighing heavily. "I was homeless. I was in the system, and when I aged out, my crackhead foster parents didn't provide any help for me. I was living in a pipe, where Bumblebee and one of team Prime, Arcee, engaged a decepticon threat. It was after that I and three other kids were dragged into this world. My guardian was their leader, Optimus Prime,"

"The guy that pulled me from that giant con thing," he said, referring to the chompazoid.

"Yes," I chuckled softly. "Myself and the kids kind of stole away on a lot of their missions, and eventually. …" I hesitated, my holoform looking away from Denny's eyes. "I fell in love with the great Optimus Prime, and Megatron found out about it," I sighed, looking back up at him.

"How did you become a bot?"

"When we were on missions," I explained, thinking back to the days it happened. "Optimus would put me in his chest plates when being on his shoulder wasn't safe enough. His spark - which is like our heart and soul combined - reacted to me differently than it should've, and a spark was created in my own body. However, it wasn't activated until Bumblebee, Raf and I got shot with dark energon."

"What's that?"

"First off, energon is our lifeblood," I explained. "It's what flows through us, and what brought the autobots to your world in the first place. Dark Energon is the blood of … Unicron."

"Unicorn?"

"No," I laughed. "Uni _cron_. It's like their devil. It's who we fought during the final days of the war. Anywho, the dark energon activated my spark, and as it developed, I eventually needed a bigger frame for my spark to power. That was when I became a bot."

"And… Optimus?"

I sighed deeply, rethinking back to the day I lost him. "The Allspark is what allows Cybertron to create life. In order to keep Unicron from destroying it, my love combined his spark with the Allspark. In order to return life to his planet, he sacrificed his spark. With no spark, there can be no body,"

"But, when he came down here, he said that he wasn't .. gone,"

I sighed again, deactivating my holoform. "It's all a mystery now. … I just wish I could. .. understand,"

We rolled to a stop, myself downshifting quickly. The stop was smooth, like always, and controlled. I transformed, allowing Denny to fall into my servo as I did.

"Trail leads inside, sir," Strongarm reported, reaching down to analyze the tracks.

I sat Denny aside, back towards the trees. "Denny, stay back," Bee ordered as I did.

"If you say so," he shrugged.

"Keep your optics open," I ordered, activating my blasters. "We're on Chop Shop's turf now,"

I scanned the area as the others fell behind me. I turned around the warehouse, peering through the door. Inside, the truck was hooked up to a small-ish spaceship, one with a pointed edge.

"Sweet ride," Sides added, looking it up and down.

"Okay," Bee reported again. "Not so much his turf but his mission control,"

"You don't want us on this rock, and we don't want to be here," a voice called out from behind us. Chop Shop moved towards us, Fixit still swinging from as his arm, his left arm missing. "So, what's the glitch, coppers?" he backed us into the warehouse. He jumped in the air, raising Fixit.

"Mayday!" the minicon hollered as he was pounded into the ground where we stood not moments before. I finished my tumble, twisting to face the con as he charged us again. He kicked low, the others jumping to avoid it. He punched Sideswipe to the side, turning, without missing a beat, to kick Bee and Strongarm aside. I stood, staring the con down. He punched and kicked in rapid succession, my own blaster deactivating as I deflected his blows. I connected with his kicks with equal power, however when he moved to use Fixit against me, I simply caught him. "Sorry, Cara!" he called as he was yet again thrown at me.

"Fixit, fight back!" Bee called as he helped Strongarm to her pedes.

"I- I can't!"

I deflected more blows, my frame not having such a work out in ages. Chop Shop pulled back, myself relaxing in the given respite. However, the other spider bot connected with him, completing his frame, and he charged me again. This time, however, I had backup.

Bee charged him first, the con clotheslining him and kicking him back towards the truck and the ship. He raised Bee by his frame, shocking him as he hung. I charged him, the con dropping Bee, and turning to face me. He latched onto my frame, shocking me as well. He dropped my body next to Bee, and I struggled to realign my circuits. I forced my frame up, only to be knocked back down as Chop Shop placed a pede on my shoulder plate. I turned to Bee, who was laying back as I was.

"We ain't never going back in no cage!" he demanded, pointing Fixit at us.

"Fixit," Bee begged as I struggled with the weight of the pede on my chest. "The team needs you."

The minicon looked between the four members, all of us fighting something. We both flinched as Chop Shop raised the minicon to strike down Bee. However, the blow never came.

"You work for me, pally," the con groaned as Fixit fought him.

"I work,.." he groaned, turning to face him, releasing punches to his own faceplates. "For my team!" he chuckled as he clearly gained the upper hand. "What?" he laughed again as Bee helped me up. "Why are you hitting yourself? Huh? Why are you hitting yourself?"

The con crashed to the ground, Fixit smiling. "Ugh, get off you mangy skid!" He threw Fixit towards us, and he vented a sigh, wheeling over to where Bee and I now stood, glaring the con down.

"You can handle the field work from here?" he asked, looking up at us with a smile.

"It'll be my honor," I grinned, moving towards the con.

"Thanks Fixit," Bee added, moving beside me.

Bee and I both glared at the con as he rose to his full height. We charged together, delivering a clean up cut to his chin, sending him crashing into the tanker, freezing him on impact.

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait," Grimlock sighed as Fixit told him the story. I sat on the ground beside Denny, gently tapping dents out of my armor. "You did what?"

"Yeah," Fixit smiled easily, "That's right, punched Chop Shop. A couple times, you know, pow-pow-pow-pow-pow-pow," he grunted as Sideswipe nudged him. "It was epic! I mean, it doesn't need to be repeated, but it was epic!"

"If it wasn't for Fixit," Bee congratulated him. "We never would've captured Chop Shop,"

"Guess you can't spell team without an F," the dinobot stated, looking proud of himself. "And uh. … is it one x or two?" he paused to think on it for a moment, before smiling. "Ooh! That reminds me, there's someplace we gotta be,"

* * *

I zoomed my optics, watching the kids on the field below play.

"Ugh!" Strongarm groaned, leaning over Sideswipe. "Give it! Come on it's my turn!"

"Is not!" Sides protested.

"Uh, crunch time," Grim pointed.

I smiled, pushing forward onto my stomach to watch the game below. Denny perched on my shoulderplates, watching his son through a pair of binoculars.

I watched as Russell dropped the ball to the ground, kicking it through the center of the goal posts. The game was won. The team behind me interrupted in cheer, and I mentally recorded the scene to show Russell later.

.. and to keep.


	5. WWOD?

_Optimus smiled at them once more, before turning to me. "Carabelle,..." he rumbled gently through my sobs._

 _I smacked my hand against his chest plates. "Don't you - Carabelle me - boy," I tried to joke with him. I met his optics, trying to smile at him, but I buried my faceplates back into his frame as the sobs began again, my body searching for something to act as a tear._

" _Cara," he assured, wrapping his arms back around me. He gently rubbed circles into my back, easing me as I let it out. "I don't want you to think for one minute that I'd ever leave you behind,"_

" _I know it, Optimus," I sighed. "But…. what if my spark isn't ready to follow for. .. eons!? What if it's centuries before I get to join you again? Earth time isn't the same as Cybertronian, that's a_ long _time."_

" _Cara," he smiled gently, pressing his lipplates against my forehead. "I will always be with you,"_

" _Promise?"_

" _I promise,"_

 _I pushed up, encasing his lips with my own. I stayed like that, recording every thought that ran through me. The feeling of his hands against my back, the feeling of his shoulderplates underneath my servos, the vastness of his chest against my own, and the feeling of his spark being so close to mine._

 _To my despair, he pulled away, cupping my face once more. "Hm…. Ancora Prime, I love you with all of my spark."_

* * *

I vented a sigh, thinking back to the day that I lost my love. I sat in the corner of the junkyard, optics closed, just feeling the wind move around me. A single tear of engine coolant leaked down my faceplates. I sat with my legs crossed, my servos resting gently in my lap. The sun shown brightly on me, its warmth shielding me away from the wind's cool air. I searched with my spark for my Optimus, willing him to appear to me again.

However, as always, I got nothing.

"Cara!" Bee called from behind me.

I didn't move as his pedesteps halted beside me. "Bee?"

He plopped down beside me, hugging his knees close to his chest. "Sideswipe tried to give Strongarm a wet willy," he chuckled softly.

I scoffed. "Bet that ended well,"

"Cara," he reasoned with such desperation in his voice, I turned to look at him. "It was in the middle of my presentation," _Oh_. "My team never gave Optimus trouble like this,..."

"Bee," I eased, wrapping an arm around his shoulder plates and pulling him close. "Those were trained soldiers, Bee. Bots who had been fighting for centuries. Not bots who got pulled to earth. They're young, just. .. give it time,"

"I guess you're right," he told me, leaning his helm into me. "What're you doing?"

"Thinking about Optimus," I said after a moment, looking through a gap in the wall at the blue waters.

"Have you tried talking to him?"

I nodded. "Nothing,"

I turned to look at him, but my attention was directed to Sideswipe who was climbing on a new pile of junk directly behind Strongarm who was practicing her punches. The thing swayed under Side's weight, about to crash below. "Oh no," I muttered, transforming and leaving Bee in the dirt. I charged forward as the mountain tilted, knocking Sides to the ground below. I transformed again, kicking Strongarm out of the way just as the pile crashed down on me.

"My 1978 Volcano Avenger machine…" Denny complained about a recent find as I struggled underneath the pile. Grimlock removed whatever was holding me down, Bee moving to help me up.

"Scrap," I muttered, rubbing my helm.

Bee sighed deeply, shaking his helm as I scanned my circuits. "You know, when Optimus told us to stop doing something, we stopped."

"Why?" Russell asked from in front of his pinball machine.

"Because Optimus had his voice," I informed, brushing dust off my frame. I noticed the bots staring at me and I shrugged. "It's how I could tell he was in Prime mode, when he use 'the voice.' It got all deep and rumbly,"

"It was like…" Bee cleared his throat. "Strongarm," he called out in a deep, majestic voice. It lifted at the end, like he was pleading. I snorted, covering my faceplates. "Sideswipe, Grimlock," The three of them gathered to stand in front of Bee, as he proceeded with his … pleading voice. "There is no time for this foolishness. We have a galaxy relying on us and a mission to complete."

The air was silent for a moment after Bee finished his speech, and I was literally biting my tongue to keep me from laughing.

It obviously didn't help the others as they burst into laughter the next minute, Bee slouching. "I'm sorry, sir," Strongarm wiped a fake tear away.

"Bee," I restrained a laugh, forcing a smile down. "You're trying too hard. Step aside," I cleared my own throat, recalling a memory of my Optimus before smiling. "Autobots!" I demanded, the others looking at me. I tried to match Optimus' gravity, however my high pitched voice didn't quite match his baritone. "We must locate the remaining stasis pods at all costs. The fate of this world depends on it."

I was met with a blank reaction again, the bots staring at me wide opticed.

"That's why she's a Prime," Sides whispered to Strongarm.

* * *

I directed my holoform to a stop by the blue waters of the river dividing the junkyard from the city. I let my long black hair down, it barely touching the ground underneath me as I sat. The waves almost touched my feet as I hugged my knees close to my chest, my frame resting just behind the wall in a position similar to this one.

"Optimus…" I whispered, watching as the sunlight reflected between the water's waves. "I. … I've been waiting… I, don't know how much longer I can wait…"

I sighed deeply, closing my eyes.

* * *

 _The four of us found the ground rumbling beneath our steps with yet another set of foot steps. These ones mastered even those of the green one's. We flipped around, staring at the largest bot of them all. He was red and blue in color, and I couldn't help but notice the aura he carried. It seemed the other four respected him to a grand extent, and his form screamed of leadership._

" _We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron. Also known, as Autobots."_

 _A hand flew to my chest as it rumbled with the depth of his voice. A deep grand baritone with a richness that made my knees weak. I gazed up at him, searching for his eyes but barely seeing the blue glow._

" _Why are you here?" Jack asked him._

" _To protect your planet from the decepticons."_

" _The jokers who tried to bump us off last night?" Arcee filled in providing_ who _._

" _Okay….." Jack hesitated, turning back to the magnificent bot. "Why are_ they _here?"_

 _He kneeled down, bringing his chest even closer to Jack. I felt jealousy rise into my throat at how close he got to the boy, but I shoved it aside._ If you're curious, ask _. I scolded myself._

" _A fair question, Jack." my chest rumbled with his voice again. "In part, because our planet is uninhabitable, ravaged by centuries of civil war."_

" _Why were you fighting a war?" Raf asked softly, adjusting the backpack he was carrying nervously. I rested a hand on his shoulder in support._

" _Foremost, over the control of our world's supply of energon, the fuel and lifeblood of all autobots, and decepticons alike. The combat was fierce, and endured for centuries…"_

 _I listened to his story, do not get me wrong. I_ love _history, especially when I didn't already know what was being told. But that voice…. I just couldn't get over it._

 _But then -_

 _Miko forced a yawn, fiddling with her hair. "Is there going to be a quiz?" she asked rudely. I shock her a look which she ignored._

* * *

" _Cara,_ " Bumblebee's voice brought me back to reality. I opened my eyes, finding my holoform curled in a ball at the edge of the water. " _We are in need of your holoform again,_ "

"What is it this time?" I asked, deactivating little me and rising to my pedes. I traveled a ways before I saw Grim, Strongarm and Bee digging through a pile of scrap. "And what are we looking for?"

"The humans have discovered one of the stasis pods," Bee called over his shoulder. "Denny's going to open the door for us, but we want you with him,"

"Breaking into another museum?" I nudged Bee, grinning at him.

"Last time, you were with Optimus the whole time," he chided back at me, Grim and Strongarm pulling a tarp up. "You didn't do anything,"

I rolled my optics, transforming and backing up to the trailer Denny led me too.

"Where am I going?" I asked through my holoform, walking up to Bee.

* * *

I was dressed in a naval uniform again, my black hair pulled back in a tight bun. I groaned as I walked ahead of Denny and Russell, who Denny swore was a valuable asset to the mission. I rolled with it. I was their body guard, their companion through their daring missions. In proof of that, I made sure that the machine gun was strapped tightly to my back. I put on my best pissed off face, and even went as far as adding a scar across the holoform's eye.

"I'm Nevada Flieber, famous archeologist," Denny greeted the two at the front station of the desk. They reminded me of the woman at the desk of Cybertron's museum, and I had to quickly contain my smile. "I discovered the Flengi Tribe in the lost city of Pantra. I'm surprised you don't recognize me," My main frame was parked outside with Bee, Grimlock in my trailer as we circled behind the building. "I'm here with my intern-"

"International adventurer," Russell interrupted, pulling himself over the counter. "I'm McPlank. We just got back from Cartagascar where Professor Flieber helped me recover the Sammurabi Idol,"

"Helped _you_?" Denny reacted as if he was greatly offended. "I wouldn't go as far to say-" he cut off, looking back at the two who were still blankly staring at them. "Anyway, we're thinking about donating the idol to Crown City, which could mean a lot of publicity and ticket sales to your museum. So I thought a tour-"

"Yes of course!" They shouted, standing to their feet immediately. "Before we begin though, do you have an image of this.. Idol?"

The two stalled, turning to me for help. I rolled my eyes, reaching into my pocket like it was a chore. I quickly manifested an idol that I remembered seeing in the museum next to my Optimus. "Some crusaders," I muttered under my breath, pulling the image out and holding it out for the two behind the desk to see. "Don't even have a damn picture of their own damn idol,"

"Right this way," the man said, leading away from the desk.

Denny paused, glaring down at the boy. "You promised to follow my lead, McPlank," he threatened.

"Lead on," he smiled, gesturing in front of him.

I groaned loudly, the two turning to look at me as I pounded ahead. "If you two don't quit arguing, I'm leaving your sorry asses behind on the next mission,"

Outside, Bee and the others transformed. Bee vented a sigh, looking up at the building. "You are really going to appreciate earth museums," he said to Sides. "I learned some fascinating stuff in places like -"

"Bee," I called through my holoform's radio, the two behind me looking at me with wide eyes. "Sides didn't even have enough respect towards our home idols of our fallen leaders, I doubt he'll appreciate America's," the two giving our tour paused to look at me funny. I clicked the radio back open. "Don't allow him inside. Leave him in the truck,"

" _Yes ma'am,_ " Bee called back through the radio.

I tapped my ear piece, looking at the two. "My team is waiting in the truck. They wanted to come look, but, I advise against it,"

Outside, Grimlock flew the tarp off of himself, it landing on Strongarm and the three of them started fussing over it.

My holoform paused just as we passed the 'Employees only' sign, gesturing for the two of them. The tourist continued on down the hall, how they missed us a mystery. We quickly ran through the halls, myself leading them towards my main frame. When I got to the garage door, I could hear the same sounds real me was hearing. As the garage door opened, I pulled the fire alarm. "We only have a couple minutes to get this thing going," I announced, deactivating my holoform the next minute transforming. I lead them through the garage and into the building.

Bee lead the team over towards an exhibit, and I sighed, pushing forward to search for the stasis pod.

"Stop!" I heard Bee call in a deepened voice. I vented a sigh, turning to see Bee's arms outstretched, the three bots turning to look at him. _This should be interesting._ He swung his arms around, adding accents to his words. "By dividing our search efforts, we will be more efficient. Each of you will choose a -"

The bots transformed, beginning to turn away ignoring Bee. "Hey!" I stopped them. "Split up and find the damn pod. Quit being asshats and get your shit together. Go," the bots scrambled off, Bee stepping forward to follow before pausing.

"How the scrap do you do that?" He asked me as I smiled at him, pushing forward.

I smirked, pausing to turn to the humans below. "Stay here. If anything goes wrong escape through the loading docks." as we walked away, Bee looked up at me.

"How _do_ you do it?"

"It's just respect, bro," I smiled down, hugging him close. "Respect and trust. This is a completely different team than what Optimus had. You have to learn what _they_ respond to. Bend to them. It doesn't have to be as strict as what we had. As I said before, it's a different team. They're not trained warriors like Bulk, Arcee and you were."

He vented a sigh, leaning into my embrace. "I guess you're right. .. I mean, I'm no Optimus,"

" _Cara,_ " Denny called to me through the radio he carried. " _We have a problem._ "

* * *

Bee sat on the loading dock, Denny pulling the fire alarm again.

"I'm surprised there's no firemen showing up," I commented, pacing again. "Tell me how this is going to work instead of just going in to find Russell?"

Denny pushed the alarm back up, silencing it. There was a rev of an engine, and Sides ramped the dock. "Well," I stared at the red sports car, a bit flabbergasted. He transformed, Russell flying out. Before I could freak out, Sides had him in his servos, allowing him a clean jump down.

"Sideswipe, you make walking a bore," the kid called up to him as I recovered from my mini spark attack. Without missing a beat, he turned to us. "HAve you seen a metal buffalo come through here?"

"Big head, small brain?" Sides added.

"Uh…." I stared at them with wide optics.

"Fixit, have you been hearing this?" Bee called through his comm. "Can you give us an ID?"

"A what?" I rubbed my forehelm, falling back onto the ground. "I need a thousand years nap."

" _Yes, sir,_ " Fixit replied from the base. " _From the description, particularly the small brain part, it sounds like Terrashock._ "

"I remember him," I perked up a bit. "He was an enforcer, yes? The most brutal?"

" _That's_ what's in the pod?" Bee groaned, rolling his optics. "Great. Once a buffaloid gets moving it's almost impossible to stop,"

"Nice to see you, McPlank," Denny growled at Russell, who simply smiled and waved. "We were going to stay together, remember?"

"Come _on_ Dad, I found the decepticon!" Russell argued.

"I'll find Terrashock, back in a flash!" Sides turned to walk away.

I was about to yell at them, when Bee stood with his arms outstretched, like he was directing traffic. "Team!" he said in his deepened voice again, but this time through the comm again. "Listen to me. This is Bumblebee, your team leader. If you find the fugitive, do not engage him. Instead, summon your teammates and bring the decepticon to the museum's entrance grand hall, where we can attack it, together!"

"Right," Sides shrugged, transforming and speeding away.

Bee sulked, hanging his helm low as he watched the young bot go. "You head back to the grand hall," I assured him with a smile. "I'll meet you there."

* * *

I moved past the section of the museum about earth's water, hesitating before moving through it. I was thinking about the buffaloid, and the wonderful adventure we had trying to capture him back on Cybertron.

On Cybertron. … without Optimus….

The walls shook, bring me to an immediate halt. I strained my audios, trying to find something, _anything_ that could relate to s con. There was a metal pounding, pedesteps, coming from my right. Moving away from the wall, I made to intercept the sound. I brought my blades forward, prepared to meet the con.

Sure enough, it pounded through the wall, the drywall crumbling behind him. He paused when he saw me, stopping where he was and raising an optic ridge at me. "Wait," he paused, red optics narrowing before he lowered his helm. "I know you, _Prime_ ,"

"Terrashock," I acknowledged, bending into a battle stance. "You should've stayed where you were." I opened a comm to Bee. "Bringing him in,"

As the con charged, I transformed and sped away in my peterbilt as quickly as I could. My shifts were perfect, there was no time to screw up as the buffaloid got closer and further from my rearviews.

I veered to the right as we got closer to the entrance, the blue of the sky shining in through the big, glass doors. "Oh, perfect plan," I shouted as the con ran past me, charging Bee. "Let's lead the damn thing straight to the public!"

Bee and Terrashock crashed through the door, the two of them falling into the crowd of people. _Holy fuck_.

I quickly activated my holoform, pulling my hair back again into the tight bun of the sailor, throwing the cap on tightly. I charged through the door, an astounded look on my face as I looked up at Bee. "My God," I called, moving around to his front. "Look, McPlank, I did it…"

"Nothing to see here folks," Denny called as I manifested a small remote like thing in my hands.

"After all my hard work," I winked at Bee, watching as he stood up and walked back to the museum. "I can't believe it's working!"

"We'll be ready to reopen in a few minutes!" I heard the two cheer behind me as I 'lead' Bee back through the now shattered glass doors. When we got out of human eye, I deactivated my holoform, transforming.

"Let's grab the others and get the hell out of here!"

"We can't," Bee sighed, walking towards the docks. "Strongarm, Grimlock, Sideswipe," he called through his comm. "This is Bumblebee. The decepticon is loose and in the city. I'm heading to the loading docks and going after him. Bumblebee out,"

"Why didn't you tell them to meet us there?" I asked, joining him at his side.

"Isn't that what Optimus would've done?"

My spark froze at Russell's question, my spark twisting in pain and excitement.

"Optimus?" I called hesitantly.

 _ **Bumblebee.**_

Bee looked at me, before pulling me towards the elevator doors. There, my bot's reflection appeared in the metals. I turned to greet him, but found he wasn't there. I turned back to the elevator doors, moving as close as I could. I reached my servo up, tracing his metals before allowing my servo to fall. I fell as well, to my knees, in front of him.

"Optimus," Bee vented a sigh. "I tried to call you…"

 _ **I am permitted to make contact only when the Primes believe your need to be dire. I hope you are making progress.**_

"Actually," Bee mumbled. I reached my servo up, tracing the lining of his metals. "Now's not a great time for me to talk, Optimus. A decepticon is free in a populated area."

 _ **I see. You and your team will pursue and apprehend it, I assume.**_

I chuckled softly. "Assuming makes an ass out of you and me," I mumbled as Bee continued to talk to his mentor.

"I'm not doing a very good job of leading them, Optimus. No matter how much I try to be like you."

 _ **Perhaps that is the problem.**_

"Hm…." I smirked at the door as I traced his chest plate. "I think someone else has said these words…"

 _ **Bumblebee, you are**_ **not** _**me.**_

"You can say that again…"

 _ **You misunderstand. I only -**_

The metals I was tracing were gone.

"Optimus?" Bee called behind me.

I rose to my pedes, my spark convulsing dangerously. "Baby?" I called hesitantly, gently brushing the copper doors. "Optimus? Come back to me," I started panicking, my spark racing, my energon throbbing. "Optimus! Optimus, no! No, come back to me!" I banged on the metals, leaving a dent. I started sobbing, Bee wrapping his arms around me and pulling me down. I didn't have enough in me to stop him, or to even support myself. He was forced to let go, and I fell to the ground, my frame shaking as I sobbed. "He… He didn't- even say, anything…."

My world went black, stasis approaching me, and fast.

* * *

 _The room suddenly burst into cheers. I felt something warm and soft brush against my cheek. "Five life signals, Carabelle," Ratchet's voice told me gently._

 _I sighed in relief, the black in my vision slowly returning as the pull on my chest lightened. I sat up, arms supporting me strongly as my vision slowly returned to me. I rubbed my head as coordinates appeared. "Send me," I demanded, searching for my leathers. Ratchet moved to protest before I gave him a pointed glare. "Do not test me, Ratchet," Miko handed me the clothing, something I'd grown fond of. I'd have to thank Arcee for that._

 _Once I'd seen my Optimus, of course._

 _The ground bridge opened, myself bounding down the stairs. My spark pulled me through, a wide grin spreading across my face. I stepped through, all smiles -_

 _Until I arrived._

 _It was a dark room, Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee were in defensive stance, firing upon Megatron who was returning fire. And…_

" _Optimus!" I called out to the bot who was .. retreating through the wrong ground bridge._

 _He stopped, turning to look at me. His optics were wide, his face mask unsheathed. I looked at him as desperation,_ what was he thinking _?_

" _Orion!" Megatron yelled the next second, taking a shot to the shoulder. "Retreat! It's a trick,_ trust me, Orion _!"_

 _Optimus glanced between myself and Megatron, before shaking his head and darting through the decepticon ground bridge, the con following not too far behind. When it closed, the room was silent._

* * *

"Optimus!"

I sat straight up, panting deeply. My frame was over heating, my cooling fans working double time to cool myself off.

"Cara," Bee called, his servo reaching for my arm. I slowed my breathing, turning to face him. "It's alright," he assured me, gently tugging back on my arm. I eased myself back down, into his lap?"

"Bee?"

"The buffaloid is in a stasis pod, it's been taken care of. Nobody is hurt, no cover is drawn."

I nodded, relaxing again. Before, a spark - shattering memory kicked in. "Optimus?..."

"Haven't heard from him yet," the yellow bot told me, gently running his servos up and down my arm as I curled into a ball, attempting to relieve the pressure off my spark. "It'll be alright, though. It's fine. Easy now. It's alright, I've got you. You're safe, Cara. I got you…"


	6. As The Kospego Commands

I sat next to the control center in the junkyard, knees pulled up to my chestplates. I hugged them close, begging the ache in my spark to go away. As my spark hummed, my energon throbbed through my circuits. I kept a firm optic on the ground, begging to anyone who'd listen to take this pain.

I heard Bee and Sideswipe getting into it, but I barely paid attention to what was being said. I kept thinking of my Optimus, on those elevator doors. … I didn't say anything to him, I didn't get the chance to, why the hell -

"Cara,"

I turned to look up at Bumblebee. "Hey, Denny has a customer,"

I searched for the activation of my t cog, slowly folding into my Peterbilt. It had been a while since I've flown, and I was starting to miss the open air. Bee vented a sigh before transforming next to me.

I was silent as Bee listen the the transaction. The dudes were wearing weird blue antlers on their heads, and I was curious. I called for my holoform, desperately trying to make it look decent. I was in blue jeans, a small white v neck shirt, and boots. I adjusted my hair so it rested right above my eyes, folding the long black locks into a quick braid to the side. My eyes had dark circles under them, a representation of my broken spark, I suppose.

I stepped out of the peterbilt, closing the door as I walked towards the five humans. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, applying gentle pressure to the shard of my spark that was pulsing painfully.

The three dorks with blue antlers were reading off a list that stretched to the front of Bee. Russell and Denny laughed, before turning away from them. I stopped, leaning against Bumblebee's hood. "What's going on?"

"Russell," Bee whispered to the kid as he passed. "Don't give them the generator. I'll explain later."

The boy nodded confidently, moving to catch up with his dad. I yawned, leaning back against the Hood, soaking up the sun. I laughed softly as I felt the hood bend underneath me, kind of comforting.

"Okay," I finally moved up when I heard Denny cheer. He was pulling a cart of junk towards the weird blue antlers. "Just give me a second to fire up the crane and I'll grab you the generator."

"But dad," Russell whined. "We sold the last generator yesterday, remember?"

"What? No we didn't, we have one left."

"No," I stood, moving towards them. I put off like I was cold, shivering as I moved to nuzzle under Denny's arm. "Honey, remember? We sold it to Mr. Bee."

"Oooh," he called, embrace. "That's right. Sorry," he turned to the three men.

They started murmuring amongst themselves, and I didn't listen. I leaned into Denny's touch, smiling softly as I remembered Orion.

* * *

 _I groaned at my stupidity, trying to think back to why I hadn't listened to him in the first place._

 _The ground beneath me shook as a pair of familiar blue peds stalked through the ground bridge, halting right in front of me. I couldn't bring myself to look up, rather kept my eyes down at me own shoes. The massive bot stared at me a moment, before he vented a sigh. He transformed, the driver side door opening gently._

" _Optimus, I…" I sighed softly, kicking the dust. I must've lost my balance or something, because the next thing I knew I was falling -_

 _-into soft arms?_

 _I looked up, meeting the neon blue eyes of a man. He was tall, gorgeous, and perfect. He had black hair that was fixed into a tight crew cut, but when the sun touched it it glistened blue. He was wearing a red shirt that had the autobot symbol embroidered into the center of its chest. Dark blue jeans, and black army boots laced up to his shins. His muscles moved under his shirt as he supported me fully, my feet not finding the ground yet._

" _Carabelle," he rumbled in the same baritone that belonged to my Optimus. "Are you alright?"_

 _My eyes bounced between the truck beside me and the human holding me up. My knees shook as I tried to find the ground. "O-Optimus?" I asked hesitantly, looking at the truck for help._

" _Yes?" the man asked worriedly, picking me up slightly so that my feet could find the ground. "What is it sweetspark?"_

 _I narrowed my eyes at him._

" _I'm right here," he reassured me, brushing a strand of my hair out of my face and behind my ear. I leaned into his hand, his skin warm as it cupped my face. "It is I, Optimus Prime,"_

* * *

"Boy," Denny laughed, pulling away from me. I quickly deactivated my holoform, paying attention to Bee at my side. "Is somebody taking them for the ride. Pretending to be the Kospego." He walked over to us, Sideswipe pulling up to the side. "Uh, so why couldn't I sell him the generator?"

Bee and Sideswipe transformed, Strongarm pulling up beside them. I called for my t cog, slowly transforming. I felt each metal slide against another, into place, forming my bipedal mode. I stretched high, ignoring the pain in my chest as I did so.

A weapon in Strongarm's servos shot a blue beam towards the collection of colored fridges that Denny was sorting through. It sliced through a pink one, the bots falling silent as we all turned to the man.

He ran forward, speechless, falling in front of it. Grimlock pounded forward, stopping right in front of the distraught man. "Well," he smirked. "It won't be bothering us anymore."

Denny glared at him, and if it wasn't for the burning in my chest I might've laughed at him.

They started talking again, and I groaned. Kneading at my chest, I slowly eased my frame to the ground, reaching a servo down to the ground to steady myself. I slowly relaxed, allowing my knees to cross in front of me. I leaned my elbows against my knees, bringing my servos to my hands. I off lined my optics, thinking hard. _Why am I struggling so much now?_

" … That could badly damage or destroy earth,"

I looked up to Bee with wide optics. My spark clenched in on itself even more, if that was even possible. "I didn't get Optimus' home up and running just to come home to mine and lose it," I demanded, urging my circuits to pull me up.

Bee offered me a servo, which I gratefully took. Fixit fiddled with his mobile control for a moment.

"The _Alchemore_ 's prison manifest does indicate a decepticon named Thunderhoof matching the general description," he reported with a worried look on his face plates.

"We should make sure the generator at the dam stays put," Strongarm told Bee, apparently a conversation I missed while day dreaming.

"Roger that. Autobots!" I caught Strongarm and Sideswipe look at each other with an amused look. I've known about their jokes with Bee's calls for a while now, and I was starting to admit; they were starting to get to me.

"Here comes another stinker," Sides laughed.

"Nope," Strongarm defended, helm held high. "This time he nails it."

"Let's rev rock and rumble!" He turned, standing in a 'rock and roll' position he probably learned from Miko. He took one look at their faceplates, before sighing and offering a servo to me. "I kind of liked that one,"

* * *

" _Sideswipe,_ " Bee ordered as he idled next to me. " _You and Grimlock stay here and guard the generator. Strongarm, you and I will do a perimeter sweep of the area,_ "

I threw my gears into reverse, backing into a spot directly parallel to the fence the generator was in. I killed my engine, relaxing for a moment. The two bots in front of me transformed, Sides looking as annoyed as ever. He groaned, leaning against the fence, arms crossed in front of his chestplates. Grimlock moved beside him, taking a defensive stance, one that would work well if the invader were to come at him from the front. …

I vented a sigh, scanning the area every couple seconds, watching the two of them over time. Sides changed positions on the fence three or four times, at some point lying on the ground. Grimlock? He hadn't moved an inch.

I chuckled softly, before the pain in my chest overtook me yet again.

If my Optimus were still here… there'd be so many things different. There probably wouldn't be so many criminals, former decepticons, that weren't easily persuaded. There wouldn't have been as much crime going on, maybe the public would respect me more, maybe the high council wouldn't have taken control so aggressively. …

"Who's there?" I heard Grimlock call out. It didn't take long for a dark blue frame to take out the massive dino.

"Grimlock!" I called for my t cog, my spark firing in protest of my rapid transformation, which wasn't faster than normal. I groaned, trying to put off rubbing my chest, rising to my full height. The con, who had large .. antlers, on his helm, turned to face me, optics red.

"The Prime," he sneered, looking me over as I stood before him. My spark was still protesting from my transformation, and decided the perfect time to convulse rapidly. I groaned in pain, grabbing at my chest and falling to my knee. "Already kneeling before me?" he hummed in such a content manner it made me want to punch him to smithereens right there. He moved forward, reaching a servo out to cup my face. "One must know her place," he knelt down to my level, lifting my optics to meet his.

"My team.. Is right behind me," I threatened him, activating my holoform a ways away from my current location. I started running through the trees, the extra energy spent on her allowing my frame to look weaker. "I…. wouldn't stay long if .. I were you,"

He hummed, before releasing my faceplates. I fought at my spark, but the drained energy and the pains, I couldn't move. "Don't worry," he sneered as he crashed through the fence. "I don't plan too," I groaned, moving the holoform to a tree. I shook it rapidly, moving to another tree quickly in front of it. I bounced, as fast as I could, from tree to tree, shaking. I turned, looking in it's direction with a hopeful glance.

"Bee," I sighed contently.

The con must've caught on then, because he transformed and left. _With_ whatever it was that he came to get.

My spark convulsed again, and I threw my forehelm against the ground. I groaned, trying to will the pain away. _Grimlock_.

I looked up, seeing the big lug motionless on the ground. "G.. Grim!"

"Cara!"

"Thank the gods," I moaned as Bee wrapped his arms around my shoulders, hugging me close. Strongarm and Sideswipe moved to Grimlock, who was now, thankfully moaning and groaning. "Decepticon…"

"Are you hurt?" he asked me, his optics flashing to Sides.

"S-Spark," I sputtered, gesturing towards the fence. "Get.. thing,"

Bee nodded, myself laying flat on the ground. I looked into the stars, drawing patterns through them. One looked like.

.. Optimus.

* * *

 _I moaned, flipping back into Optimus' palm, grumbling to myself._

" _Cara…" He warned._

" _Optimus,.." I mocked his tone best I could from my position._

 _He stared at me, his face neutral. Eventually, I shot him a broad smile, to which he ignored._

" _The_ Arctic _?" Arcee moaned the next minute. "Great. Another chance to freeze our sparkplugs off."_

 _Bulkhead whistled, myself propping up looking at the screen. A mass of energon stared at us. "That's an ND-7 class. The most unmineable there is."_

" _Until Starscream melts his way down to it." I shuddered, looking at the masses of glaciers surrounding it. "Optimus, of those glaciers are melted…"_

" _Autobots," his optics narrowed. "Prepare for departure."_

 _I looked at him with hopeful optics as he moved to the catwalk._

" _No."_

" _But Optimusss-"_

" _Cara." He looked at me sternly, setting me down on the metals. "No."_

" _But whyyyy?"_

 _His mask sheathed, covering the lower half of his face. "You've been misbehaving today. I believe you asked me 'what are you going to do?'" He winked at me, turning to the ground bridge open and waiting._

" _Freeze!" I shouted, running along the catwalk. The bot never halting his steps. "I-I-I take it back!"_

 _He stopped, turning back to me as I finally caught up with his position. He knelt down close to my ears, and just above a whisper. "If you do not behave, there will be more where this came from."_

 _I shuddered as the massive bot turned away from me again. "Be safe,"_

" _Of course," he looked at me then, only for a second, before they disappeared through the ground bridge._

* * *

When I came back to the present, there was still an aching pain in my chest. I groaned, hauling myself to my pedes. The throbbing died down a bit, and I quickly overcame it. I transformed, soaring through the air.

 _How the hell am I in the air?_ I was just rolling in pain for .. forever. How the actual _fuck_ am I in-

 _ **Carabelle.**_

That's how. I smiled, feeling the winds brush against my frame. My spark was calm for a moment, until my scanners picked up something. I came to a clearing, where a space bridge was turning bad. It was sucking trees and such up, the usual blue green light was quickly turning purple. Bumblebee was on his back, Sideswipe standing next to the con who touched me earlier.

I transformed, allowing gravity to take me to the ground behind Bee. Sideswipe and the blue con were pushing on each other, the con pushing Sides towards the purple hole. "You thought you could scam me by pretending to switch sides, autobot?" he was yelling over the wind. "How did that work for you?"

"Pretty good," Sides replied as I ushered Bee behind a stack of massive rails. There the wind didn't work around him. I peered back around to see Sides with a weapon fighting off the con. He was holding his ground, however not for long. The con was pulling himself away from the black hole, moving towards Sides who was hanging onto the main control as the wind pulled him towards the hole.

"I said you were going through first, kid, and I mean what I says," he demanded, reaching for one of Side's pedes.

Before I could react, Bee released the link on the rails, the heavy things connecting with the con and sending him into the abyss. I ran forward, grabbing hold of Sides and pulling him away from the wind. "Don't let go!" I shouted to him as I dug my digits into the ground, using the earth to pull me a safe distance away. Sides grabbed onto Bee's bumper as I moved them towards the generator, where they would be able to avoid the winds. "Bee?" I questioned, tapping the generator. "You throw I shoot?"

Bee and Sides must've talked it over because the two of them moved around to one side, pushing against the generator. I transformed my servo into a blaster, waiting for the perfect moment. The box tumbled into the tunnel, Sides and Bee swerving behind me. I fired just as the wind began to carry me, transforming and soaring high above the blast range soon after. I watched as the hole lit up, before closing in on itself with finality.

The only thing that remained was a small blue flame. I sighed, my spark content finally, the two bots below transforming. I landed, transforming and smiling at them.

"So…." Sideswipe looked behind me at the flame. "That happened."

"You had me worried there, Sideswipe," Bee told him with a small smile.

"Dude," he scoffed. "I'm on the team." he paused, looking down. "But. I can kind of see how it doesn't always seem that way."

Bee smirked, offering the bot a fist. I scoffed, turning to look at the flame. "The spacebridge wasn't stable, but when Thunderhoof disappeared, it _looked_ like it was a successful transmit."

"So.." Sides began again. "Where'd he go?"


	7. Collect Them All

Disclosure : I do not own Transformers Prime, it's characters, the storyline, or anything of the sort. I am simply borrowing it to place a piece of my mind in it. I only own my OC, and I will, in a sense, carry the one. I give full credit to those who have created this wonderful series, and Hasbro. Read and Review my loves!

\- Lizzzard

* * *

" _This is Bumblebee and Grimlock_ ," Bee called through the comm, my engines barely soft enough to allow me to hear him. " _No sign of the fugitive,_ "

" _Beta Team leaving sector 8 for sector 9_ ," Strongarm reported next. " _Zero contact, optical or auditory_ ,"

Sideswipe groaned through next, obviously _thrilled_ about being paired with her. " _What she's trying to say, we got zotz_ ,"

" _What I'm doing is using language appropriate for Cybertronian law enforcers on duty, which Bee and I are_ ,"

"Actually," I called, downshifting a bit to make a curve in the road. "You're not. You're on earth, looking for a decepticon that has stolen a bunch of stuff from the native life forms of this planet." I could almost hear Sideswipe smirk from my position, and I smiled. "I've got nothing here Bee. Fixit?"

" _Our decpeticon signal keeps flopping-copping-dropping out_ ," he replied, myself rolling my optics at his insistent need of _not_ fixing his hiccup. " _Oh wait, it's back. And it's on the move._ "

"Where-"

" _Alpha team, direct contact!_ "

" _Party time!_ "

"Sideswipe," I called, searching for their coordinates. "This isn't a party, but a pursuit."

" _Regulation 134, section 2: 'An officer shall not initiate a high-speed chase without -_ "

" _Like Cara said, this isn't Cybertron!_ "

I groaned, kicking my engines up more as I chased after the two bozos, praying that Bee was doing the same.

" _Mayday, officers under attack!_ "

I sped up, emerging from the curve that led directly to the bots' signals. When I emerged, I immediately transformed.

"Polly wants to crack me!" Sideswipe yelled, as he and Strongarm were pinned underneath the claws of the giant raven - like bird. I called for my flight pack, soaring quickly and directly into the con's chest, knocking him off the kids. They both fell to the ground behind me, safely. I crouched down low, my servo transforming into a blade as I paired off with the con. I screeched, saying something I couldn't make out, before charging me. I stood ready for a defense, but something yellow kicked it back out of the way. It fell to the ground again, Bee landing by my side. Grimlock pounded to a halt behind us, Strongarm and Sideswipe joining.

"Who needs punching?" the dinobot grinned, glaring at the con.

"Time to go back in your cage," Bee called, aiming at the con.

He screeched again, lifting himself into the air. I transformed, soaring above the con, watching as he landed on an power stand. He started messing with something holding the wires, and Bee was climbing up the side. I groaned, transforming and lowering so I was directly above the con. It yanked with finality, lifting slightly up before flying to the side. I groaned, about to follow him, when Bee yelled out in pain. I looked, watching him fall, blue lights of electricity encasing him. Grimlock danced below, his small servos held out in front of him. "I got it, I got it!"

I almost laughed as Bee landed directly in front of the dinobot. I killed my engines, dropping beside the bots as they crowded around Bee. "I.. don't got it,"

I bent down to Bee, watching his optics. "You alright?" I asked as they came back online. Sides helped me pull him up, the bot groaning in pain.

"Never better," we looked at the con who was flying away with his prize.

* * *

I rolled to a stop in front of the control center of the scrapyard. The others transformed, moving towards Fixit. "We lost the fugitive," Bumblebee reported in. "Any signs on the scanner?"

They started scrolling through mugshots, finding the little shit, blah blah. I vented a sigh, relaxing into my form. My spark had been more calm than before, like it had after he first left. I still hadn't heard from him since the wind in the air, however I still hurt whenever I thought of the museum incident.

I shuddered, getting the thoughts out of my head.

"Cara,"

I transformed, stretching as Bee looked at me with a serious look. "What's up?" I asked as I relaxed.

"Come with," he demanded, moving through the scrap yard.

"O-kay," I shrugged, following closely behind him. As we got out of sight of the others, I caught up to his side, looking at him. "What's going on?"

"It's Strongarm," he reported, pointing up. I followed his gaze, to see the bot in question sitting high up, alone.

"Ah," I followed as he made his way up the sign to the femme. As we got closer, I saw that she was reading something.

"Those your old citation logs from Cybertron?" Bee asked, sticking his head over her shoulder. I groaned and facepalmed as I steadied myself on the sign. "'Public rustiness,' 'Indecent transformation,'" he chuckled, picking a seat to her left as I sat on her right. "Feeling homesick, cadet?"

"Just, uhm… studying procedure, sir," she responded hesitantly.

Bee chuckled. "When I first came to earth, I missed Cybertron something awful. Got a case of alloy hives. Felt like I had tin flake under my armor. Cybertron was the only home I'd ever known. I knew how things worked there ; I wasn't sure if I'd ever feel comfortable here,"

"And then I came a long," I smiled at him sweetly, gaining a giggle from Strongarm.

Bee rolled his optics, before looking back at Strongarm. "I decided to make earth kind of like a game. It took a while, but it got easier."

"You know," I began, looking out at the view of the city this height provided. "When Optimus took me to Cybertron that first time, I was more excited than I was afraid. But… as I spent more time _there_ and less time.. _Home_ ,... I started to miss the green grass, and the flowing waters, and the sound of birds early in the morning," I sighed, looking back at the femme. "Myself adapting to Cybertron was just as difficult as it is for you to adapt to earth. It isn't easy, Strongarm. But I promise, you can do anything you set your mind too,"

* * *

Strongarm and Bee had retreated back to the ground a while ago. I elected to stay up top, watching the sun as it moved across the sky. I offlined my optics, leaning back onto the metals.

"Optimus,.." I whispered, feeling his spark somewhere. "You, have no idea how much I miss you," I sighed.

* * *

 _He beamed proudly, walking forward to the others. He shifted me in his hands, my left arm bumping against the metals beneath me. I cringed in pain, holding my arm close to me. I looked up at him through watery eyes. "I love you and all…" I cringed softly. "But my arms a little broken,"_

 _June rushed forward next, motioning for Optimus to set me down. The bot transformed, gently resting me in his sleeper. Orion appeared, brushing the hair out of my eyes as June charged through the open door and rushed to my arm, calling orders to the kids behind her. Orion had my undivided attention, which he took advantage of by placing a single, gentle kiss on my forehead._

" _I love you too,"_

* * *

" _Cara_ ,"

I groaned, activating my comm. "Yes, Bee?"

" _Better get down here. Our con is active again._ "

I sighed, looking back up at the blue sky. "I love you, Optimus Prime,"

When I got back to the ground, Grimlock was running around on four wheels and something hanging around his neck. I vented a sigh, transforming and stopping right behind Bee. I blared my horn, sending the bot into shock, himself falling to the ground. I chuckled as the bots surrounding me struggled to contain their laughter. "We going?" I asked in mock annoyance as Denny climbed into my cab.

* * *

As we got closer, I pushed ahead of Bee. The psycho looking robobird was picking at a rail in the bridge.

"Guys," I commed. "If she removes a rail, it could potentially set an unbalance through the entire bridge." I tranformed, Denny falling to the ground as the others transformed around me.

"Quick," Bee called. "Before she-"

The rail pulled free, the bird hovering and taking in our forms for a moment, before diving towards us. I ducked, before jumping up after her, Bee following. "That stays here!" I called, pulling down as she lifted up. I locked my legs around the railing of the bridge, Bee doing the same and pulling back. I winced at the sound of the bridge's concrete cracking, a cable snapping lose. "Stabalize the bridge!" I ordered.

"Disaster protocol states-" Strongarm began, but I growled dangerously.

"Write us up later," Bee shouted to her. "Go!"

I felt the metals around my pedes start to give, and I winced and pulled back with all my might. The bird moved back a bit, however she looked back at me with even more determination in her optics.

"Denny," Bee called. "Don't let anyone back on the bridge!"

"Come on Bee," I groaned, pulling back again. "We got this,"

Bee grunted with me, and we began a slow walk backwards onto the bridge. Filch started chanting 'Mine!' with each flap of her wings. I groaned as I moved to counteract them, however her fucking wings were too strong, even with mine and Bee's combined might.

"Bee!" Denny called. "Bridge is clear! Anyone asks, you're a zookeeper!"

I felt Filch turn, before I heard her voice call out "Shiny." She twisted, sending Bee over the edge of the bridge. I locked my arms around the beam, hauling myself up and latching onto her leg. She chased after Denny, myself twisting under her to try to knock him out of the way. She dived, myself scraping against the ground below, her beak grasping onto Denny's shirt. I struggled to move for him, reaching a servo out. I didn't notice the bridge wall until it was too late.

I smacked against the concrete hard, my audios ringing as my single servo jostled free of it's grip on the bird's leg.

I groaned, grabbing at my head as I pulled myself up. I felt Bee grab onto my shoulderplates, helping me sit up. "Grimlcok," he called through his comm. "We need you!"

" _Say it again, slower,_ " he oaf snidded.

"Get your slagging aft over here," I demanded through my own comm as I looked back up into the sky. "Denny?"

"Gone," Bee sighed, shaking his arms out.

The bridge groaned beneath out pedes, the concrete plates moving up as it precariously held it's ground. "Fuck nuggets," I groaned, moving to dive underneath the bridge with Bee right behind me. Strongarm and Sideswipe had the bottom of the bridge braced underneath their servos, myself and Bee doing the same on the opposite side.

"You two okay?" we asked at the same time.

"Other than ignoring every disaster protocol ever written, we're great," Strongarm spat at him.

I rolled my optics, moving closer to the middle of the bridge as the plates started to fall out the middle. I groaned under the pressure, my arms already weak from the wrestling match with Filch.

"Someone call about a bridge?" The weight lifted from my servos, Grimlock simply pushing it back up. "I could do this all day," he bragged to us.

"We don't have all day," I spat, collapsing onto the ground.

"Neither does Denny," Bee began ordering. "

" _Ancora Prime,_ "

I vented a sigh in frustration as all the bot's optics turned to me. "Fixit, I swear if you're going to keep this up-"

" _It's Denny. He's ontop of the tower outside of the city. Filch is gone at the moment, distracted._ "

"Got it," I cut the comm, transforming into my aircraft and taking off. I let my bottom trail in the water for a moment as the three on the ground struggled to keep up.

" _Grimlock, how are you holding up?_ "

" _Awesomely,_ " he replied. " _I am literally holding up, awesomely. … a little less awesomely._ "

For some ungodly reason, the three at the bottom beat me to the statue. " _Race you to the top!_ " I heard Bee call before running towards the statue.

" _Write him up Strongarm! He's cheating!_ " Sideswipe called before running after him.

I laughed, hovering for a moment as I watched the three of them climb, getting closer to the top. I transformed, moving slowly towards Denny. I smiled, happily knowing that Bee was still the little bot that he always was. "Guys," I called as I landed beside Denny. "You do realize I fly, right?"

Before a reply could be given, Filch screeched behind me. I twisted to face her, only to have her grab my shoulder plates and push me down.

"Cara!" I heard Bee cry as he jumped after me. "Secure Denny!"

I groaned as my back met the concrete below, hard. Filch screeched in my face, myself taking it as a distraction to push up. It only lasted a second before she pushed me down again, denting a few of my metals beneath the concrete. "Mine," she growled dangerously, narrowing her optics at me.

I moved underneath her, remembering all of the wrestling matches I've had with my Optimus. I twisted sharply, freeing a servo and delivering a solid hit to her faceplates. I crawled out from under her as Bee joined my side, the bird seeing no problem with taking on the two of us. She bounced between us, her talons and wings deflecting out blows, taking a few against us in the process.

Strongarm crashed into the bird next, sending them both flailing on top of me. I groaned, pushing up as the two wrestled on my frame.

"Look out below!" Sideswipe called, launching the beam from the bridge in my direction. I winced, before it bounced off of Filch's faceplates, the two falling limp to my side.

I vented a sigh, letting my metals relax for a moment. "Is it just me, or is today going by _way_ too quickly?"

"Come on," Bee ordered. "We've gotta get back to the bridge. Strongarm and Sideswipe, take Denny and Filch back to the scrapyard. We'll take this to Grimlock,"

I vented a sigh again as Bee pulled my to my pedes. He started running back towards the direction of the bridge. "Race ya," he cheered over my shoulders.

I smirked, groaning as my metals protested. "I must be getting old," I sighed, running to catch up with the smaller bot.

"Nonsense," he cheered. "Technically, I'm older than you!"

Obviously, Bee beat me to the bridge. I slowed as I got there, Bee already placing the beam in place. I vented a sigh as Grimlock released, allowing the weight to fall back on the beam, the balance restored. I smiled, transforming to my truck and allowing Grim to climb onto my trailer as Bee shot ahead. "I'm still winning!" he called.

"Does he ever stop?" I mumbled, pulling out steadily.

When we got there, I was surprised to see all of the bots lined up at the gates. "Huston we have a problem," Bee stalled, opening the door for Denny. I activated my holoform, climbing through Bee's window and landing in the passenger seat.

"What's up?" I asked as Bee slowly rolled through the gates.

"Oh, Denny," a man sneered from the inside as he climbed out of Bee. "The treasures you have… I found things I've been looking for for years! Sell them to me now, or else I'll air my footage and every collector in the country will be knocking down your door,"

Denny didn't move as the others rushed in, taking advantage of the staredown. I directed my peterbilt in next, rolling to a stop next to Bee. I climbed out, leaning onto Bee's frame, my naval uniform standing proud. I glared at the man, who quickly ran his eyes over my form before turning back to Denny.

"O-kay, Larry, you win," the man exclaimed, still glaring at the other. "On one condition. You _never_ darken my door again,"

"It's a-"

" _Two_ conditions," Russell protested. I glared at the boy, as he chuckled nervously.

"Good call," Denny backed him up. "We need to know you'll keep your word. Cough up the memory cards, Larry,"

I laughed, pulling my holoform back into the peterbilt as the three exchanged a few more words below. I started my form, deactivating my holoform as I pulled after the others, towards my spot at the edge of the scrapyard. I transformed, collapsing to the ground near the hole in the wall, my window.

I smiled, easing back against the cars, looking across the beautiful body of water that contained the sunset's beautiful rays. I vented a sigh, looking up. There, I saw Bee climbing up after Strongarm as she sat up on her sign again, looking across at the same view as me. I chuckled lightly, offlining my optics. "He's doing great, Optimus. You'd be proud,"

 _ **I am proud of the both of you**_.

* * *

 **Sorry guys. Break ended this week, and I got held up. .. I am also starting to write another story, one that I am really looking forward too. It's in the Bayverse, and I am debating on making it an OptimusxOC or an IronhidexOC . I'm leaning more towards Optimus at the moment, but if it's an Ironhide that'll work as well.**

 **I'll let you guys know when it's up!**

 **Anyways, I know the chapters are jumpy and fast right now, but really, if you watch the episodes that's kind of how they are… I'm trying my best, bear with me until we get to some Optimus action! Right now I'm trying to make Cara be distant from the group, like she was on Cybertron. Focusing only on her Optimus. ….I don't know, I'll work on it.**

 **I love you all! Hope you had wonderful holidays!**

 **-Lizzzard**


	8. True Colors

I walked ahead of Bee and his team, smiling proudly. Bee rolled his optics at me while he continued to push a stasis pod into the base, an alarm sounding in the background. I scuffed my nose at it as Sides fell to the ground, picking bushes out of his joints.

"What's that?" I asked, turning to face Fixit as he and Russell emerged from behind the communications hub.

They both paused at the sight of my frame, before slowly answering. "That's the proximity alarm," Fixit said, before Russell bounded around him grinning widely.

"Which I know how to operate," the boy cheered. "Because I was totally listening,"

"Oh," the minicon growled. "You were barely-" he shook his helm, turning to Bumblebee. "Anyway, how did the mission go?"

"Wandered through seven klicks of mud to find an empty stasis pod," Bee growled, glaring at me.

"Hey," I protested, gesturing to my frame. I was covered from head to toe in mud, taking my time getting out of the mud ruts on our way back. "Like I used to say, you're not doing it right until you don't know what color your car is." Strongarm opened to pod's door, and out poured more mud, which I gladly flopped in. "Heaven," I sighed, relaxing into it a bit.

"To be accurate," the cadet continued as if nothing happened. "The pod wasn't _completely_ empty," she glanced at me, before turning to the others. "Sideswipe," she called over. "Tell Fixit how you lent a hand," she paused for a second. "Oh, that's right. You didn't."

"Hey," he protested, rising to his pedes. "If anyone slowed us down it was Grimlock. I've seen fried circuits livelier than you were today. No offense- Ow!"

Grimlock lashed out, connecting with the side of Sides' helm, knocking him backwards and far away from us. I gaped at the bots, who were glaring at each other. It was true, Grim had been acting strange, but not this strange. Not that I blamed him, but still. I pulled myself out of the mud pit I was in, moving towards Bumblebee as he called for the bot in question.

"What's gotten into -" Sideswipe paused as the Tyrannosaurus stalked towards him, growling dangerously low. ".. you?"

Grimlock growled again and charged Sideswipe. I transformed my flight tech, blasting forward and past Grim in an instant. I wrecked into Sides, out of the way, as Grim pummeled by, wrecking into a nearby trinket of Denny's. The dinobot with the purple decepticon insignia still embedded on his shoulder plates turned to us, glaring us down yet again.

"What's your backfire, Grimlock?" Sideswipe yelled again as I helped him to his pedes. I watched as the dinobot growled more about something, before charging our position again. I narrowed my optics, as Bee jumped in between us.

"Break it up!" he demanded, placing his servos between us two.

Grimlock stopped, glaring at the servo on his arm. "Keep your hands…" he flung his servo to the side, knocking Grim's off of him. "... off of me, autobot." he growled low and dangerous, all the while glaring at Bee. He twisted suddenly, his tail connecting with the three of us and sending us flying through the air and crashing, hard, against nearby trinkets.

I was the first to recover, rushing to my pedes to take a defensive stance. "Fixit, get Russell to the command center," I called as I heard Bee groan in pain behind me. Strongarm advanced next, her blaster pulled and in firing motion. "Strongarm, don't-"

Sideswipe rushed her, sending her shot up slightly missing the dinobot. Grim crashed to the ground, crud falling ontop of him, forcing him down. "What are you doing?" Sides demanded of her.

"Trying to protect you from a violent attacker, in case you haven't noticed," she glared back.

"You mean protecting me from a teammate?"

I moved over to Bumblebee's fallen form, looking back occasionally at the still form of the dinobot. Before I could reach him, Grimlock advanced on the two arguing bots, knocking them both to the ground. He towered over a phased Strongarm, and I quickly dived underneath him, above her, to deflect a series of punches that followed. I did my best to push him off her, but he kept punching. He dented my forearm, massively, sending pain through my neural net and into my processors. I ignored it best I could, but my reaction time slowed significantly.

It wasn't until Grim turned to face a new threat that I rolled off of Strongarm. She eased a bit as I grabbed at my forearm, willing the pain to go away.

"Stop fighting me!" I heard Grimlock growl. I twisted to see him pushing against Sideswipe's vehicle mode. "They don't stand a chance, and neither do you!" he grunted, lifting Sideswipe and tossing him into the air. I grunted, hauling myself to my pedes, gaining the dinobot's attention.

"Grimlock?" I begged, ignoring the pain in my arm.

Sideswipe landed on his pedes, turning to run towards Grim and jumping onto his back. I paused, thinking of Jurassic World for maybe a moment. I visibly shook my helm as Grim flipped backwards, smashing Sides underneath his weight.

"Oh no…." I mumbled, moving towards the fallen bot. Grim growled over to me, and I froze, still cradling my damaged arm.

He held his servos to his helm, clenching his optics shut as he grunted painfully. "Keep moving…" he ordered before moving towards me.

I held up my servos, well away from my weapons, to show my lack of desire to harm. "Grimlock," I eased, taking a step back as he continued to push forward. "Grim, I don't want to hurt you." he kept moving towards me, his optics narrowed. "Grimlock, _please_. Just talk to me," he stopped when he was barely inches away from me. He stretched so he was slightly taller than me, and I angled my helm to look up at him.

" _Grimlock_ can't talk to you right now," he growled, before raising his right hand. He brought it down on my cheek, my faceplates erupting in pain. I spun away from him, taking a few steps back before turning to face him again. He punched twice more, hitting me in the stomach and my shoulder. I groaned again, backing away only to glare at him. I clutched my stomach, my facing burning as I struggled to stand my ground. "Why won't you fall?" he demanded, charging me once again. He twisted, myself slow to notice his tail connecting with my abdomen.

I flew back, crashing into a pile of cars, sending the masses falling on top of me. I could feel some energon lines and circuits breaking, sparks erupting from my frame. I groaned, attempting to stand, only to find multiple points of my body. I groaned, finally relaxing and giving into my injuries. I tried to find Grimlock, but I couldn't. I heard Sideswipe groan in pain once more, his frame not far from my own. I tried to search for Bumblebee or Strongarm, but I couldn't find them either. I groaned as my energon levels dropped slowly, my frame slowly pushing me into a stasis.

* * *

A steady pounding of an alarm woke me from my slumber. I shifted underneath the pile of rubble, reaching around to peel some of them away from my frame. Some of my energon lines had sealed once more, however I was going to have to look them over again later, and pound many dents out of my system.

There was a loud crash from the command center, and I twisted and crawled around until I caught sight of it. Grimlock had Russell in his servos, holding him by his hood.

"Listen, human," Grim growled at him. "I know you were trying to signal for help."

"I wasn't," the boy protested, pushing against him. "But, helps coming anyway," he crossed his arms in front of his chest, relaxing as he was airborne. "Optimus Prime should be here any second,"

Before my spark could react to my bot's name, Grim dropped Russell, looking around the skies frantically. "Huh? Optimus!?" he freaked, still looking.

"That was our new proximity alarm," Russell cheered from the ground, and I vented a sigh. "It means Optimus is close by. And how do you think he'll feel when he finds out you seriously injured his wife?"

"Huh?" Grim protested, looking in my direction. "That was _the_ Ancora Prime!? Why didn't she fight back!? Must be this stupid dinobot…. I can't beat Optimus mano a mano. But the boss will scrap me if I come back empty-handed." he froze, turning back towards something behind him. "But I'm not empty-handed. I have Underbite," the dinobot moved from my line of sight, pulling what I assuming was the stasis pod containing Underbite away with him.

I groaned, trying to push myself up again. Russell ran over to me, and my spark pulsed as I remembered his words.

"Cara," the boy said, pushing against a hood with all of his might. Surprisingly, with a little help from me it went rolling off of my frame. "Cara, I am so sorry. I didn't know what else to say!"

"Russell," I chuckled, pulling against every instinct that said to lay back down and curl into a ball. "It's fine. It obviously worked, and I probably would've done the same thing." I smiled at the boy as I brought myself to a sitting position. I quickly self scanned, clipping a few energon lines and shoving them together, healing only what was needed before rising on unsteady pedes. "How's Fixit?"

"I am fine," he cheered moving towards me.

I turned to Bee, who was attempting to pull himself up. I ran over to him, offering him a servo which he greatfully took. "What happened?" he asked me.

I only sighed, turning to where Russell and Fixit were talking to Sides.

We both moved over to him, lifting him onto his pedes. "Where's Grimlock?" he asked softly, his voice weak. I quickly scanned him, finding nothing too severe other than a few dents.

"Russell scared him away, but Grimlock has Underbite," Fixit reported.

"Said he was taking him back to some boss. But-"

"I can't believe I fell for the old innocent T Rex routine." Strongarm interrupted the boy, picking herself up off the ground. "We should interrogate Grimlock's known associates. He's clearly been fooling us this whole time."

"Strongarm-" I began to calmly protest her, before someone got a more vicious approach.

" _We_ are Grimlock's known associates," Sides argued, again, with her.

"I-I think maybe -"

"I've seen Grimlock's rap sheets," Bee interrupted the boy this time. "The only crime on there is sever property damage due to Grimlock being.. Grimlock."

"That's what he wants us to think," Strongarm protested again.

"If you'll just-" Russell started again.

"No way Grimlock attacked us willingly." Sides argued again. " _The boss_ must've forced him."

"Guys!" I interrupted this time, raising my voice a little louder than I planned. Once I had gained their attention, I pulled it towards the boy. "Maybe we should listen to the _human_ who scared the attacker _away_ , who was _awake_ for the whole ideal,"

"I don't think Grimlock's in control of himself," Russell explained. "He wanted to hit me, but he couldn't. It was like there was a war going on inside of him."

"Accept it," Strongarm flatlined. "Grimlock's just a bad bot who's been playing us for suckers."

I reached over and smacked her upside her helm. She twisted to stare at me, dumbfounded. "I see where your loyalty lies," I muttered, turning back to Bee who was glaring at me.

"Whatever's going on," he argued. "Our first priority is to find Grimlock and that pod, and get them both back here."

"This isn't Grim's fault, Bee," Sides reasoned with him. "What Russell's saying is at least possible, right? Tell me you know that,"

Bee only vented a sigh, and walked slowly towards the command center where Fixit was fidgeting. I glared at Strongarm as she followed him, and I looked to Sideswipe.

"Do _you_ believe me?" he asked, sulking to follow them.

"I know that we must have faith in our teammates," I said, throwing a reassuring arm around Sides' shoulderplates. "And I am proud that you do. And it could happen, nobody knows. I've seen too many movies to not at least _consider_ it."

"I can't locate Grimlock's signal," Fixit protested, messing with the controls. "Comm and tracking systems were damaged when he hit the console."

"Okay," Bee groaned. "Grim said he was meeting someone, therefore they must've set a rendezvous point."

"It sounded like the original plan was for Grimlock to grab more than one pod," Russell informed.

"Are there any secluded areas nearby that are large enough to hide, like a dozen bots?" I asked him.

He thought a moment, before his eyes widened. "The Crown River Dam. It's huge."

"And fully automated," Fixit added. "No human personnel."

"We'll start there," Bee rumbled. "Fixit, you and Russell try to get the comm system functioning. Autobots, maximum velocity!"

Sides and Strongarm stared at him with raised optic ridges, while I tried to hide my laughter. Bee looked at us with begging optics before he sagged.

"Alright fine, just transform please,"

The three of them transformed, tires squealing as the peeled out of the base. I saluted the two in the center before transforming myself and following them on wheels.

* * *

Sideswipe led the group, myself trailing behind as we followed a convenient set of dino pedeprints through the woods. We walked for a moment, my audios straining to hear the conversation the two up front were having, when I heard an alarm sound. I paused in my steps, watching as Bee and Sides moved forward, fog erupting from the ground ahead of them.

Sides slipped first, Bee sliding right after him.

"Bee!" I cried, moving to follow them before I stopped, looking down. It looked like ice, a smooth, almost clear covering on the ground in front of Strongarm and I. Looking over the edge of the cliff, I saw the two bots tumbling down hill. Eventually, Bee transformed, Sideswipe latching on. They drove a little, before Bee hit the breaks, stopping just before another drop.

Strongarm started a slower descent after them. I activated my jets, slowly bringing myself down there.

"Sir, are you okay?" she asked as she skidded to a stop beside them.

"Fine," Bee grumbled, rubbing his helm.

"Me too, thanks for asking," Sides glared as he pulled himself up, grabbing at his back, I quickly scanned the two of them as we started moving again, just to ensure that they were fine.

We moved back up, and I searched the area surrounding where I saw the fog. There was something stabbed into the ground, and I pulled it free. "It was this thing," I concluded, tossing it to Bee.

"A cryo-inducer from the stasis pods," Strongarm finalized, looking over Bee's shoulder. "Friendly bots don't generally build traps for the good guys," she muttered the last part.

I rolled my optics, pushing forward, myself taking point. I moved towards the dam entrance, the others following closely when I heard voice coming from the inside.

"The autobots were all over me." It was Grim, I signaled for the others to stop, pointing inside. "But I took care of them. And… snagged Underbite. Between him and me, how much more muscle will you need?"

Bee moved around me to direct his troops, myself still listening to the conversation.

"That's a rather cowardly way to justify failure," a familiar voice responded. Bee moved into the entrance, the rest of us following. I stood behind, watching the whole ideal. Sure enough, the 'boss' was the wolf from before. "But as far as my intention to make this world a home for all decepticons, you and Underbite are at least a place to start."

"Or end, Steeljaw," Bee growled, pulling the two's attention towards us.

"You took care of them, did you?" the con complained to Grim.

"Mostly," he cowered, staring at us sadly.

Steeljaw growled as Bee moved towards him. "Savor the daylight," he called. "Things are about to get rather dark."

I have to admit, it was kind of scary to watch Bumblebee wrestle with a decepticon on his own with such intensity. The two tumbled into a pile of empty rells, the both of them growling and grunting in rage. I transformed my servo into a blaster, aiming towards the two of them as Strongarm did the same. Not finding a clear shot, I moved around.

"Get clear, Lieutenant," Strongarm growled as they yet again moved.

"I'm trying!" he growled in response as the con pinned him against a wall.

I was about to take a shot, when I heard Sideswipe grunt. My attention went to him, who was flipping away from Grimlock's grasp. I quickly looked between the four of them, sighing in frustration as I moved towards the other two, leaving Strongarm to help Bee.

"You fight like you don't want to hurt me," Grimlock called Sides out as the mech stood in a defensive position. "But I got no problem hurting you," he growled, charging.

Sides flipped out of the way in the same moment I dropped my shoulder and rammed into Grimlock's side, sending him away from us. I stood beneath Sides who was perched on the rells. Grim moved to bite down on us, but I dived and rolled as Sides jumped and climbed over his back. He moved away, throwing a rell straight for Sideswipe's helm. He ducked, the rell crashing into Strongarm, taking her with it as it crashed into the other two's fight.

Steeljaw recovered first, stalking towards Grimlock who looked around anxiously. "Get a grip on yourself," he growled.

Before I could move, Sideswipe pounded on the con's back, grabbing a hold of his finials, jerking his helm from side to side. "Like this?" he cheered proudly as the con twisted with him. I looked up to Grim, who was watching the two. "What did you do to Grimlock, Steeljaw?" Sides questioned. "Some kind of, mind control?"

Steeljaw reached behind him, grabbing onto his shoulders and flipping him above his helm and crashing onto his back on the floor. "Oh, is it so hard to believe the dinobot would choose me over all of you?" he sneered.

"Yeah, it kind of is," Sides protested from his position.

I rushed Steeljaw, tackling him to the ground as Sides flipped upright, joining me as we glared at the con. Sideswipe rushed forward first, myself hanging back. "Whatever you've done to Grimlock, undo it now!"

Steeljaw simply laughed. "I believe you have more pressing concerns." I gasped as I felt servos latching onto me. I was laying on my back, looking up as a weight fell directly onto my chest. It was more than any weight I had ever felt in my life, and I felt it crushing the metals below it. I wheezed, a human reaction despite my need for oxygen. My processors retreated back to the human reactions, myself frantically trying to remove the weight.

It was pushed off of me, myself coughing and rolling onto my stomach gasping for air. I felt Bumblebee grab a hold of my arms, lifting me up as Sideswipe and Strongarm joined us.

"Does Grimlock look like he's playing for our team right now?" Strongarm argued as I still struggled to regain my oxygen intake.

He raised his fist, bringing it down on me. I weakly branched out to stop him, catching his fist like a ball and pushing against it with all my might. I felt Bee back me up, my might apparently weakened. Sideswip and Grimlock climbed on his back, the bot twisting to shake some of them off.

"Farewell, brother," Steeljaw called from behind us. "I need decepticons who won't turn simple tasks into debacles."

"I can finish this, Steeljaw!" Grim called desperately to the retreating con. "Wait for me!" he shook us all off of him, myself falling beside Bee, my systems protesting against all other movement.

"Sideswipe," Bee called. "Can you keep him busy?"

"Wish I didn't have to, but yeah,"

"Strongarm, with me," Bee cried, pausing as I attempted to push myself up. "Cara, stay back,"

"I… I can't." I protested. "You need… help,"

"You need to let your body be content with it's human reactions," Bee ordered, giving me a stern look. "We can handle this."

"But-"

"Carabelle!"

* * *

" _You're coming with me, all four of you!" Nurse Darby stared directly at me as I hung on close to my guradian's hip._

 _I narrowed my eyes at her, before starting my descent down._

" _Carabelle,..." Optimus rumbled threateningly._

" _Save it, Prime," I called up to him, jumping from his shin plates, rolling my landing. I ignored the shock I felt coming from him; I've never,_ ever _called him Prime._

 _I stalked over to the woman who was watching me angrily._

" _And they will_ not _be coming back," she finished, turning and wheeling Raf to her car._

" _I understand," Optimus rumbled, watching me carefully._

 _I turned to face him, about to lay into him, until -_

" _That's_ it _!?"_

 _I smiled, turning my attention back to June._ Miko will take care of him.

" _What about_ our _freedom to choose?" she argued._

" _That may fly on their planet, but not on earth," June said after helping Raf in, turning to face me as I slowed to a halt in front of her. "Get_ in _," she demanded._

 _The next minute, I had the nurse backed up against her car, Raf watching as I leaned in closely to her, her back bending over the roof._

" _Cara!" Optimus used his leader voice, the pull in my chest protesting as I ignored it._

" _May I_ remind _you of where I was_ before _I met the bots,_ Nurse Darby _," I spat dangerously, fumbling for the zipper of my leather jacket. "I was living on the_ streets _of_ your _city. I came to you in your hospital with a heroin overdose, do you remember that?" I saw the terror in her eyes as she recalled the memory I knew she wouldn't have forgotten. "Do you remember sending me_ back _into that_ hellhole _with nothing more than a hospital gown and slippers!?"_

" _That was you…." she called out hesitantly, taking in my form as I backed away, shrugging out of the jacket and moving to take the shirt off._

" _Do you remember the scars?" I asked, turning to show her. "Do you remember the cigarette burns, and the cuts between my thighs? And how_ you did nothing _,"_

" _I wasn't allowed to!" she protested eagerly, laying a hand on my back. "I would've lost my job-"_

" _But_ I _would've gained a future!" I snarled at her, smacking at the hand on my back. "But I am thankful, because that night, I found the pipe. That night, I started to fight to be clean. If it wasn't for that night, I wouldn't have found the bots!" I stared her down as tears welled in both of our eyes. "I am staying_ here _with the_ only _ones who ever cared enough about me to give me a home, and there is_ nothing _you can do to convince me otherwise." I turned back to Optimus, throwing my shirt over my shoulder. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to do, repairing the very one who would risk his entire planet to save lives of those like you._ "

* * *

When I shook myself out of my flashback, my spark aching ontop of other aches and pains, Grimlock was flat on his back, the others surrounding him.

There was a squealing in my comm system, before Fixit's voice came through. " _Lieutenant, can you hear me_?" there was a pause. " _Is it working? Russell, it's not-_ "

"Go ahead Fixit," Bee called back.

This time, mariachi music came through. It quickly cut, Fixit coming back. " _Sorry about that. Grimlock is not Grimlock._ " the bot in questioned directed his attention from glaring at Strongarm to looking at Bee. " _I mean Grimlock is Grimlock but he's not Grimlock._ "

"English, please," I called, trying to stand.

" _There's a cyber-tick names Minitron who can control any bot he bites._ " Russell explained. " _He must be hiding somewhere on Grimlock's plating._ "

I struggled to keep my balance, Bumblebee rushing to my side to support me. He wrapped an arm around me, helping me to walk over to the bot on the ground, who wiggled around anxiously. I scanned him.

"He's not on him anymore," I announced. Strongarm suddenly charged us, the little bot apparently controlling her now. Bee pushed me away as the three of them wrestled, the little shit head apparently tossing between the three, occupying each one as he went. He moved away from the three, headed towards Grim one last time. I shifted to move to stop the bug, but Grim cheered as he flashed his servo out.

"Gotcha,"

"Grimlock," I reasoned as I fell to my knees once more, trying to move towards the dinobot. "I know Minitron hurt you, but he's no longer a threat,"

"We can't squish him," Bee finished for me.

"Oh I can definitely squish him," the bot called, before flicking the bug against a wall, it falling limp on the floor. "Then again, I'm not a bad guy," he cheered with a smile.

I looked up at him proudly, before finally giving in to the extent of my injuries.

* * *

 _I fell against Optimus' neck as pain soared through my body. I felt his spark pulsing underneath the thin metals here, and focused on it as I brought myself out of the pain-enduced stance._

 _Optimus' metals shattered around me, carefully transforming into the truck i adored. I fell softly into Orion's arms as he laid me gently on the sleeper. "Carabelle," he called worriedly._

" _M-My chest," I groaned, grabbing at the center of my chest. "It, burns,.."_

 _His passenger side door opened, June Darby crawling through the next moment. My shirt was already off, probably fallen to the floor somewhere, it was just me in my sports bra and jeans._

" _Optimus, what is it?" she asked, moving to my side as Orion trailed his fingers over the area that burned._

" _I am not sure…"_

" _She was in Bee with me when Megatron shot us," Raf climbed in, and I sighed gratefully as Optimus shut the door behind him, not allowing anyone else to board._

" _When I asked her earlier, she said there was a pull at her chest…" June trailed off, reaching over Orion's hand carefully. "Alright, everyone out," she demanded next._

" _O-Optimus…" I called, reaching frantically for Orion's hand as Raf raced for the door. "D...Don't, go.."_

" _I'm removing your bra to take a better look at whatever the pull is at your chest," June told me sternly. "Do you want him to see?"_

" _He..He's the truck…" I muttered, a small smile spreading across my face._

" _I won't look," Orion reassured the both of us, grabbing my hand and bringing it to his lips. His eyes never wavered from mine June fumbled through my bra. And, true to his word, as June moved the pieces of the disgusting clothing to the side, his gaze stayed locked on mine._

" _Good lord…" June muttered, her cold fingers trailing the empty space in the middle of my chest._

" _What is it, Nurse Darby?" Orion asked, still holding my gaze, however worry and fear clouded his eyes._

* * *

I jerked awake, feeling a smaller frame tumble down my chest. I quickly flashed my servos out, catching Fixit before he crashed to the ground.

"Cara!" he cheered.

I looked around me to see the other bots, Grimlock included, surrounding me on my position on the ground. I ran a self scan, finding a vast majority of my frame healed and mended. I smiled at Fixit as I let him down. "Thank you," I smiled at him.

Grimlock scuffed his pedes nervously as Bee helped me to stand. "Cara, I am sorry I couldn't stop him-"

"Grim," I argued, wrapping his frame in a hug. "It's fine. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"Don't," he replied, returning the hug. "I'm just greatful you actually like my hugs, unlike some bots,"


	9. Rumble in the Jungle

I sat by the communications hub, Denny and Fixit bustling around inside. I watched a timer internally, it getting closer and closer to the ten minute mark. Strongarm had departed to investigate a possible decepticon signal, a big step. I almost laughed watching Bee letting her go, it was like a dad letting his child go out for that first spin in the new wheels. Bee had left shortly after, his destination unknown, but STrongarm was supposed to check in every ten minutes. … something she hadn't been so loyal too.

"Fixit!" I called out, causing the mini on to jump slightly. The air was silent and I broke it rather suddenly. "Its getting close to ten minutes," I reported.

He seemed to quirk, before rolling his optics. "Well, tell me when-"

"Fixit!" I yelled again. "It's been ten minutes."

"Alright," he vented a sigh. "Tell me when it's 12 like we have the last few times,"

I nodded, turning back to my single job. Things had been kind of quiet around the base for the past couple of days. I vented a sigh, looking back up into the blue skies of my home. As much as I loved the skies of Cybertron, nothing compared to earth. My home.

"Fixit!" I called again, the minicon effectively glitching. "It's been 12 minutes!"

"Thank you," he finally growled, moving over to the hub. "Cadet Strongarm, come in. Status report please,"

" _Hasn't changed since you asked me 12 minutes ago, Fixit,_ " came her grumbled reply. " _Is it really necessary to-_ "

"Yes," he interrupted, matter-of-factly. "When Bumblebee agreed-"

"After weeks of of begging, I might add," I interrupted.

"To let you go on your first solo outing," Fixit continued without hesitation, but not without glaring at me. "You promised to check in every ten minutes."

" _It's a simple recon mission,_ "

"You're investigating a decepticon signal. I wouldn't call that 'simple,'" I rolled my optics, however understanding Strongarm's desire to go out on her own. It was like before, when I would beg Optimus to let me go on missions with him.

" _A_ possible _decepticon signal. If it is real, I'll call for backup like I promised 37 times before I left. … Maybe I spoke to soon. I'll call you in ten, Fixit. Out,_ "

"Well," I laughed. "That went well,"

Fixit growled, before returning back to whatever it was that they were doing.

* * *

 _When Optimus returned, himself and Bulkhead were sporting a very weak looking Ratchet. There was a massive gash in his armor on his right side, it tinted green, what I assumed to be Synthen. I scrambled after him, watching as the two bots laid the weaker one on a berth._

" _What do we do?" Bulkhead asked. "I'm not a medic,"_

 _Optimus seemed to puzzle over this, before I called for him to face me. "We need an energon line hooked up, directly through the damaged metals. Hook up a monitor for his vitals, and then all we can do after that is wait," I ordered, watching as the bots scrambled to do as I said._

 _As we waited for Ratchet to wake, Optimus reached for me, raising his hand to his shoulder._

" _I'm sorry I'm so defiant, Optimus," I told him softly, glancing at The doc's vitals once more._

" _I apologize for not carefully analyzing the mission and giving you a solid chance to accompany me." he rumbled in return._

 _I giggled softly, laying a hand on his cheek. "I think we both have something we should work on," I smiled at him._

* * *

"Sideswipe!"

I looked over to Fixit, who was yelling at a stunned mech on the ground. I growled, hauling myself to my pedes to head over to them. I scanned Sides quickly, finding a massive energy peak throughout his entire frame.

"What happened?" I sighed, bending down to help the mech into an upright position. He would be find, but it would take a moment before the effects wore off completely.

"It was Denny's idea to turbo charge our spark plugs!" he defended as Fixit looked at his servo.

"You shouldn't be helping Denny Clay with technology he doesn't-" he was interrupted by a massive crash, leading us to look over to what used to be a nice, neat stacked pile of empty stasis pods. It was now crashed to the ground, with Russell attempting to pull Denny out of the pile.

I groaned again, moving towards them. "What's going on here?" I demanded, being sure that my frame casted a shadow on the two smaller humans.

Grimlock pounded over, pulling a single pod free that released Denny from his capture. I looked down at Fixit, gesturing between him and the man below.

He chuckled nervously. "Denny Clay," he stated, turning to the man. "I sincerely appreciate your efforts to improve upon our limited resources, but Cybertronain technology is simply too advanced for the human brain," I scowled down at the minicon who chuckled nervously, not even looking up at me.

"Yeah," Grimlock agreed, leaning down to face the two. "Only big brains like ours understand … complicated stuff," he reached down, picking up a small item from the ground and handing it too Russell. "Like this,"

"Uh, Grimlock," the boy sighed, grabbing the device from the claws. "This is a kazoo." he hummed into it, bringing forth the single most annoying sound a child's toy can produce.

Grimlock shrieked at the sound of it, backing away slowly as Russell looked up at me with a smug look on his face. I continued to glare at Fixit, the minicon not noticing.

"Agreed," Denny responded. "I'm no expert in Cybertronian science, _but_ I'm a pretty handy guy," he cheered, a large smile plastered on his face. "And I can be of a lot more help to you than just providing room, board and a cover story."

"Denny," I called before Fixit could. "I understand that you wish to help in more ways, but I cannot allow you to have access to the higher advancements in technology that we possess. It is something that my Optimus was rather adamant about, because of the human capacity for war. I'm not saying that you personally would, but… I just can't,"

Denny sighed, scuffing his feet. "I understand, Cara," he sighed, before looking back up at me. "But when you were living on base, there must've been something that you did to help the bots,"

"There was," I confirmed, carefully seating myself on the ground as Fixit rolled away, grumbling about something. "I learned from Ratchet how to repair simple injuries, which you can know by simply understanding a vehicle's basic motor functions. But, also, eventually, I joined the bots on missions-"

"You did?" Russell looked at me with big eyes.

I chuckled softly. "Yes, Russell I did. But not without a lot of arguing with my Optimus, might I add."

"But you… fought the decepticons?"

I paused. "Yes, I did. … Though I did suffer a few injuries from it. Broken bones, deep cuts," I stopped short, a memory coming up. "Denny, if you want to help you are more than welcome to. But… ask me first, please," I smiled at him, before transforming and driving to the opposite side of the base.

I vented a sigh, relaxing into my spot and looking out across the valley. "Optimus…"

* * *

 _Optimus moved his hand to me, which I climbed into, while Ratchet activated the bridge. He moved over to the catwalk, lowering his hand to the metal. I climbed off, looking at him disappointedly. "Remain here," he ordered, before turning to Ratchet. "Send a ground bridge." I sulked before meeting Optimus' gaze again. "If I catch you following us through I swear upon Primus himself…"_

 _I saluted him, planting my feet loudly in their spot. "Return to me, love."_

 _He narrowed his optics, before turning to stride through the ground bridge, Arcee and Bulkhead close behind._

 _He returned not five minutes later, the kids in tow. I hopped the steps down, running over to hug the kids before cuffing Miko in the back of the head. She returned a soft punch to my arm with a smile, before we noticed a rather large presence staring us down. We turned to find Optimus, hands on his hips, with an optic ridge raised in the air._

" _Look," Miko said defensively. "If you're going to blame anyone, blame me."_

" _I'm sorry," Jack joked, looking at her. "Could you repeat that, a couple dozen times?"_

" _Miko," Optimus rumbled, shutting the two of them up. "What you endured is lesson enough. We… Are just glad you are all safe." the edges of his lips turned up a bit, practically a smile, as he reached for me. The bots reaching for their perspective humans the same way._

" _So…." I stepped into his hand. "Does… This mean I'm off the hook?"_

 _He lifted me to his shoulder which I gladly scampered onto, resting a hand on his cheek. He looked at his bots with their human allies before he turned to Ratchet._

" _Ratchet… Is there a possible way that we could manifest our forms into a smaller form of ourselves?"_

 _The bot in question stared at Optimus with an expression close to that of an open mouthed one. "You mean…"_

" _Like Arcee's hologram that she uses, only more solid." He glanced at me for half a second before turning back to Ratch. "One that is… Human sized."_

" _Well…" Ratchet scoffed, glancing between the two of us. "... I can certainly try."_

* * *

" _Cara,_ " Fixit called through his comm. " _Strongarm and Bumblebee have found the decepticon. Would you like to hear?_ "

I grumbled, hauling myself to my pedes as I moved towards the command center. "Sure, Fixit. I'll be right- Wait. … ' _And_ Bumblebee?'"

" _Oh, thank Primus,_ " Strongarm's voice called through my comm. " _Cara,_ please _tell the lieutenant how unreasonable he is being._ "

" _I am not being unreasonable!_ " Bee argued next. " _You're out on your own, unaccompanied, and unsupervised, and I feel responsible for you!_ "

I growled, transforming into my fighter jet. "I'll be there in ten," I called, taking off into the blue skies.

* * *

I transformed, dropping between the crowded trees, turning to see Bee and Strongarm walking towards me.

"Wonderful," Strongarm muttered, before passing me.

I glared at Bee, earning a sheepish smile. "What are you doing here, Bee?" I scolded as we followed behind Strongarm. "It's her first solo mission, you of all people should remember how important that is,"

"I do, Cara," he argued. "But this isn't Cybertron, this is unfamiliar land with a much larger threat than what Strongarm is trained for."

"It doesn't matter, Bee," I eased. "You agreed to a _solo_ mission."

"You've never been on a solo mission!" he countered.

I paused, realizing the truth behind his statement, before I turned back to him. "You're correct. Because I never _wanted_ a solo mission. I always wanted to spend time with my Optimus. Unless you have the same feelings for Strongarm that I had for Optimus…"

He growled, nodding in a final agreement. "But I'm already here, and so are you,"

"True," I shrugged. "What's the info on our con?"

"His name's Springload," Strongarm reported over her shoulder. "He is obsessed with the fabled Cybertronian land-"

"Derodus," I stated. "I remember him. Crazy ass son of a bitch,"

Bee chuckled, before nodding. "That would be him,"

Strongarm was crouched in front of what looked to be something like an Aztec pyramid, studying the ground.

"What do you got, cadet?" I asked her, staying back as Bee moved forward.

"Tracks and freshly disturbed vegetation leading to the door," she reported, not moving from the ground.

"Our best plan is wait for Springload to come out, then tail him," Bumblebee stated, moving back towards me.

"I disagree," Strongarm finally rose, turning to face him. "And so does the manual." she pulled up a holographic screen of a page she was talking about, and I peered over her shoulder to read as she did. "Regulation R65 states: 'when performing a surveillance operation, every effort should be made to keep the perpetrator in sight.' There could be another way out of there, for all we know. If we're simply watching the decepticon, there's no reason why this still can't be _my_ mission, sir,"

Bee stood with his arms in crossed in front of his chest. Strongarm shifted nervously, looking back at me for a second before Bee vented a sigh. "Lead on, Strongarm," he called proudly, gesturing to the pyramid.

I followed behind them, watching Strongarm as she peered around corners before moving. It wasn't long until we came to a large opening in the rooms, the three of us sticking to the side of the walls, carefully side stepping our way to view the con.

"These markings do not match my scroll," I heard his desperate voice call. "Or do they?" We moved to a few pillars close behind the frog like con, who proceeded to jump to a statue on the wall. "Is Doradus near?" he quizzed it. "Speak! You can tell me, I have been deemed worthy."

"Strongarm, don't!" I heard Bee whisper desperately. I turned to see the bot running past me, cuffs in hand.

"Decepticon, you are under arrest for - Ah!"

Strongarm removed her hand from the frog's toxic outer shell, the little shit turning to face her with an almost satisfied grin on his face. "Try to keep me from my treasure and you'll get burned, or worse!" he lashed out, kicking her in the chest, sending her into an identical statue behind, crashing to the ground.

Bee ran forward, laying a servo on her shoulder plates as I looked at her servo. "You okay?" he asked.

"Acid covering his armour. A defense mechanism," she pushed out through gritted teeth as I scanned her. Before I could react on my findings, the pyramid walls started crumbling around us.

"Looks like the temple has some defense mechanisms of its own!" Bree cried, shielding the two of us from dust that started piling on top of itself.

I frantically searched the area, looking for anything to help us. There was a fallen pillar on the ground, and I whacked Bee's shoulder. The two of us hauled it up, positioning it to stabilize what little ceiling we had above us up. I pulled Strongarm in close, not noticing her fidgeting until she pulled out a blaster.

"What are you doing!?" Bee scolded.

"Springload escaped through a hole in the wall, so can we," she replied, aiming.

"You could bring the whole place down!"

"I don't think that's a problem right now, Bee," I replied, watching Strongarm carefully.

She shot straight, a piece of the wall falling apart. I sent her off first, watching as Bee followed behind. I darted for the hole, diving through it just as the ceiling behind me collapsed in. I rolled my landing, ending safely on my back, venting heavily and staring at the unbroken ceiling.

"Because you attempted an unauthorized capture, we've lost the element of surprise," Bee growled. "Now we _have_ to plan for an immediate confrontation. We can't wait for the rest of the team,"

"Rest of the team?" I puzzled, bending my abdomen to look at Bee. "As far as I know, we never received a transmission to receive the rest of the team,"

Bee glared at Strongarm in a way that made me almost flinch.

She vented a sigh. "After you talked to Fixit, I commed him back and told him not to send the others. … I didn't want to give Springload time to get away," she cowered.

"Your reckless behavior was bad enough," Bee growled. "Then you lied to a superior officer. To _me_."

"Please, sir, one more chance to complete the mission solo. Let me take the lead, you observe. I'll do everything by the book."

Bee looked at me, and I gently shook my helm no. He vented a sigh, glaring strongly at Strongarm. "You're on a very short leash," he responded as her face lit up.

"Thank you, sir," she cheered as she led on. I collapsed back onto the ground, Bee standing over me and grabbing onto my servos.

"What?" he asked me as I sent him a bemused look, following behind Strongarm.

"You gave in," I snorted. "You trust her. If it was Optimus he would've said no,"

Bee paused, taking that in. "Is… did I make the right choice?"

"You made the Bee choice," I smiled at him. He returned the smile as I wrapped him into a one armed hug.

* * *

"Doradus!" the little shit hollered into the empty walls. "Why do you torture me?"

"Sorry," Strongarm stated. "Doradus isn't here right now. Can we take a message?"

"It's not possible," he breathed, taking in Bee and Strongarm. I moved into position, in front of the little frog. "You were buried alive!"

"Guess you should've stuck around for the closing act," I smiled, gaining the con's attention.

He lashed his tongue out, wrapping it around my ankle. I screamed, feeling the con's acid burning through my protective metals. He would've been through my energon lines in seconds, however Bee and Strongarm's shots convinced him to release. He transformed, flying past me as I collapsed, the pain from my ankle frying my circuits. I quickly scanned the area surrounding the burning, finding that he had, indeed, cut through a few vital energon lines. Though most of them were burned shut, there were a couple main lines that remained open, my energon pooling on the ground. I heard Bee cry out in pain behind me, and I tried to turn to see him but my energon levels were dropping rapidly. I quickly grabbed a hold of my ankle, my digits too shaky to even attempt to fix them on my own.

I applied mass pressure, holding still. I could feel my grip fading, but I scrunched my optics shut, focusing all the energon I had into gripping my ankle.

"Cara!"

"Bee…."

* * *

" _Keep trying," Orion called over his shoulder as he reached the sink. He set me on the counter before turning to address the bots properly. "We must find Ratchet before he finds Megatron."_

 _He gently lifted my arm, threading it through my shirt and over my head. He, very softly, eased it over the gash, some of the threads sticking to the now dry blood slowly scabbing over. I winced as he gently tugged at it, breaking the strands that kept it in place. He brushed his fingers after it, keeping his touch feather light. His lips followed them closely behind, brushing over the wound softly, placing a single, gentle kiss over where each string tugged against the wound. "I am sorry," he murmured softly, vibrating the skin beneath his lips._

" _It's alright," I smiled gently, allowing the shirt to be pulled from my arm. I watched as he folded it nicely, setting it off to the side, before turning the water to the sink on and grabbing a rag out from under the sink. "How do you know what you're doing?"_

 _He took a moment to lift a finger to his forehead tapping it softly. "Internet."_

 _I scoffed, "Of course," I inhaled sharply as he gently dabbed at the dried blood. I jerked away from him out of instinct, his eyes darting to mine._

" _Sorry," he whispered, however continued to scrape the blood off. I watched in satisfaction as the clumps fell to the sink below. He soaped up the rag next, returning to my gash, rinsing off the dirt and grime that had gathered in the fight. "You are not returning into battle with us again," he ordered, reaching for a bottle of peroxide._

" _Yes sir," I mockingly stated, catching his eye for a moment before he poured the evil substance over the cut. It sent rushes of roaring pain through my arm, on the surface it was sizzling white foam around the open area, slowly dissolving away._

 _He reached for a bandage and an ace wrap before returning his attention to the still-foaming area on my arm. He let it sizzle for a few moments, before gently placing the cloth bandage over the cut, wrapping it in place with the ace wrap. He kissed where the cut was ever so gently, before burying his head into my shoulder, letting out a pained sigh. My good arm reached up and around his shoulders, hugging him close. My fingers intertwined with his hair, gently pulling him away from me. His eyes lazily met mine, watching me as I lifted a hand to his cheek. "It's alright…" I smiled softly. "You're alright."_

* * *

Gentle hands shook my shoulder plates, my optis onlining to two smaller forms on my chest. I groaned, picking myself up, careful to let the two off me first. "What happened?"

"The acid from Springload's frame soaked into your main energon lines on your ankle," Fixit reported, Denny standing next to him, Bee still gripping my shoulders. "You're lucky it didn't go straight through."

"Just a few more seconds of exposure and Bam!" Denny animated an explosion with his hands. "No more foot."

I laughed, looking down to see my ankle freshly welded together. "How long am I off?"

"Just until those welds heal. I'm sure you know," Fixit replied, before he and Denny left for another unknown project.

I looked back at Bee. "The decepticon?"

"Captured and in stasis," he reported with a smile.

"Strongarm?"

"Asked me for help," he chuckled again, wrapping me in a tight hug. "You scared me, sis."

"I scare everyone," I griped, returning the hug.


	10. Can You Dig It?

**Dear Andrea, the amazing guest who continues to leave "What's going to happen in the next chapter!?" Reviews,**

 **I love you so very much.**

 **And thank you to everyone else who has taken time out of their day to leave a review. Keep it up, I love it!**

 **Love, Lizzzard**

* * *

I sat, leaning against Bumblebee's frame as we all watched the show from Russell's television set. I had onlined my holoform, collapsing on the ground in front of the couch where the boy and Fixit sat, resting silently as the bots gripped about the movie.

"Okay," Grimlock sighed, again. "I get that they're fast and make lots of noise, but when are they going to transform?"

I brought my holoform's head up, glancing at the motorcycles on the screen through the long locks of black hair. "They're motorcycles, Grim," I groaned, dropping my head back into my arms.

"One mode only," Russell added, turning his attention back to the screen.

"Whoa…. That is tragic,"

"Don't those humans have anything better to do than ride around all day causing trouble?" Strongarm griped.

"They don't play by other people's rules," Sideswipe explained softly, like he understood. "They don't want to be like everyone else,"

"Then why do they all wear the same rackets - packets - jackets!?" Fixit stuttered, and I contemplated how I could trap him into letting me fix it.

Sideswipe vented a sigh, like it was a chore. "They wear the jackets to show they are different, in the same way… .. B-But they're not! Aw, drones like you would never understand anyway," he sighed again, stomping his pedes slightly as he pounded away.

"Russell!" Denny called from the trailer close by. "Time to pack it in,"

I dismissed my holoform, stretching my arms out in front of me. Russell groaned, waving behind him as he walked away. "Goodnight you guys," he called before climbing through the door.

"Why are they smashing their mouths together?" Strongarm suddenly asked.

I flashed my optics to the screen, quickly searching for the frequency to shut it off. "O-kay," I cheered, standing as the others looked at me curiously. "That's enough TV watching for tonight,"

Bee smiled. "Isn't that what you and Optimus-"

"Bumblebee," I snarled lowly. " _Bed_ time."

He chuckled before turning to his bots, one in particular missing. I moved in the direction of his pounding pede steps, through the back aisle ways of the yard.

I heard Sideswipe grunt in pain, my t cog activating as I moved quietly around a stack of supplies. Sides was pinned on the ground, his attacker holding his blade to his chest plates. I called for the other bots, quickly rushing forward. "Stop!" I cried, Bee onlining his headlights on the darkened attacker.

I almost froze at the sight of the visor - wearing bot in front of me.

"Is it time for my solo?" he cheered, smiling at Bee.

"Jazz!?" my little brother cheered, a smile plastered across his face plates.

"Bee!" my Optimus' second in command cheered, walking towards him, his visor receding. "What're you doing in this dump?"

"Whoa!" Denny cried, covering Russell's ears and glaring at the con. "Watch the language!"

Bee scoffed at the two, myself disengaging my weapons and offering a servo to Sideswipe. "It's a scrapyard, Jazz." he smiled. "The nicest one on this planet!" He moved to Jazz to offer a greeting, but the bot held out his servo.

"Careful," he warned as Sideswipe glared at him. "This one thinks he's dangerous."

Bee chuckled again. "His name's Sideswipe, and he's with me."

"Whatever," Sides growled, turning to walk behind me. "You just. … caught me by surprise," he paused, turning to face the new comer. "What do you call that take down, anyway?"

"Don't know, it just kind of… flows," Jazz cheered, swaying his hips from side to side. I rolled my optics, resting a servo on Side's shoulder plates. "Hey, Bee," he turned again. "Know anything about a prison ship called the _Alchemor_? The big bots on Cybertron sent me to check out a distress call,"

"Actually," Bee smiled as they walked away. "I know a lot about it," their voices faded slowly, talking about Kaon City. The other three bots hung back by me, watching the two as they left.

"That's Jazz," Sideswipe breathed. " _The_ Jazz."

I rolled my optics, moving forward. "And you're _the_ idiot standing in the way," I laughed, moving past him.

I approached the two chatting in front of the communications hub, leaving the three behind. I had learned a lot about the days before earth from my bond with Optimus, finding truly how much his bots meant to him. Jazz and Ironhide, however, held a close spot in his spark. When Ironhide fell, it only got worse for him.

I vented a sigh, pushing the thought of my Optimus back as Bee turned to me.

"Jazz," he gestured towards me. "Meet Ancora Prime,"

The bot immediately fell to one knee, bowing his helm. I shot daggers at Bumblebee as I reached for him. "Please," I begged softly. "If you work with the council, you should know how much I do not wish to take complete hold of that title,"

He stood completely, pity filled in his optics. "I was there the day you surrendered your command," he sighed. "I, of all people, know the pain you feel,"

I smiled, remembering the day. "I only wanted time to grieve of my Optimus. And now, he speaks of coming back,"

Jazz's optics widened, turning to Bee.

"Yes," my little brother sighed, looking at me as he carefully continued. "He has spoken to me and Cara a few times about it. It isn't always easy on Cara,"

I shook my frame, ignoring the pain at my spark. "So, the _Alchemore_ ,..."

* * *

It was dawn by the time Bumblebee had finished telling the story to Jazz. Denny and Russell had fallen asleep already, outside, as the insisted on _not_ leaving, listening to Bee's story.

"The council will be pleased to hear that," Jazz smiled. "They weren't too happy when you commandeered that space bridge. Come on, I'll give your team a lift home. You can smooth things over,"

Before I could protest, Strongarm almost vented an aggravated sigh. "With all due respect, sir, we can't leave the decepticons to run roughshod over this planet,"

"She's right," I demanded, walking to stand behind Bee.

"We haven't completed the mission," Bee stated. "And I can't let Optimus down."

"You're going to stay a while though, right?" Sideswipe almost begged. "Maybe you could teach me - _us_ a few of your moves?"

"Love to," Jazz chuckled. "But I really should get back to-"

He was interrupted with the shaking of the earth below out pedes. I quickly pushed Bee behind me, circling to find the intruder tunneling its way through the ground and into our base. I quickly glanced at the humans, who were behind our line, safe for the moment.

"Dad, a sinkhole!" Russell yelled, running towards it. _Great_.

"We get a lot of them around here, natural occurrence,"

"Not this one," I growled, sheathing my battle mask and transforming my servos into blasters.

"Whoa," Jazz paused, looking at my blasters. "I was for sure the council deemed it illegal to have blaster systems still integrated into your frame,"

"Not for me," I growled, as a con jumped from the hole, transforming and growling at me. Fixit and the humans dived behind the bots legs as I took a position in front of the entire team, themselves arming with their own weapons. I narrowed my optics, catching and holding the intruder's own. He broke first, seeing the stasis pods in a corner and slowly, slowly walking towards them. "Fixit, report!" I called, watching him move.

"It's a decepticon,"

"No shit," I growled, side stepping with the con.

"A petty crook named Ped. He burrows under ground with those claws then -"

"Cara, I got this," Sideswipe cried out, charging past me.

"No, wait!" Bee cried as I tried to grab ahold of the bot's frame as he left.

Sides jumped into the air, not seeing the electrical pulses until they were surrounding him. He let out a cry in pain before falling to the ground, purple shocks pulsing around him. I released shots as the con jumped into the hole he came from. I paused, debating jumping in after him when a hole emerged behind the humans.

"Russell!" Denny cried as Bee reached in after the boy. I quickly grabbed a hold of Bee's servo as he practically jumped in after the boy. I felt a servo lock onto mine as I pulled back, refusing to release Bee's grip. I groaned, pulling back with a final effort, Jazz, holding my servo, doing the same.

The boy emerged from the sinkhole in Bee's hand, the rest of us crashing onto the ground. Russell ran for Denny, the two hugging as Bee and Jazz smiled down at them.

"Just like old times, huh Jazz?" Bee smiled, turning to him.

I shook the strain off my arms, glaring at the young bot.

"It was a distraction!" Strongarm cried, directing our attention to the stasis pods that held out energon storage.

"That's what Ped came for," Fixit growled, analyzing a few of the remaining cubes. "Our energon!"

"He didn't get all of them," Russell suggested.

"It's not like we have an unlimited supply," I growled, picking myself up.

"Grimlock, Denny and Russell," Bee began ordering, reminding me of my place. "Stay here and guard the remaining energon in case that con comes back. "You two, come with me," he gestured to Strongarm and Sideswipe, myself following quietly.

Jazz chuckled. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"I do not give my sister orders," Bee growled.

"I was meaning me," Jazz sighed as I jumped in the hole that the con made.

"Well," Bee grumbled, following after me. "I didn't want to just presume."

"Heh. You haven't changed."

We slid down the walls of the tunnels, stopping when we came to a fork in a road. I was in the middle of an eenie meenie mini mo when Fixit commed. " _Bumblebee, I'm picking up a faint signal._ "

"Where?" I cried, activating my blasters.

" _Uncertain. Ped must've realized that we were tracking him and he's taking evasive maneuvers._ "

"We'll have a better chance of finding him if we split up," Bee called, myself nodding in agreement.

"I'll go with Jazz," Sides cheered, running over to join the mech. Bee sighed, looking to me.

I nodded, pushing down one of the tunnels as the others went through the other two. I transformed, my peterbilt revving the engine as I pushed forward, swiftly changing gears.

* * *

 _A massive explosion echoed through the comm, my spark pulsing in fear._

"My robot chassis possesses all of your strength, speed, and firepower _," Silas called, metal on metal being heard in the background. "_ Add my extensive combat training, and MECH has clearly achieved the perfect meld of man and machine _."_

 _After a few moments of silence, Optimus let out a groan. "_ Ohh…"

"But you know the key difference between you and me? … My body can't feel pain _!" Another clash of metal, and Optimus let out a loud, pained groan, the sound of his body falling to the ground following._

" _Optimus!" I called, worriedly._

"Is that the girl we saw in your company before _?" Silas teased. "_ Maybe, after I've defeated you, I'll pay her a visit. Discover why she's so comfortable around you. … Or, maybe, offer her to Megatron… as a peace offering."

 _I felt Optimus' pain as I glared at the screen. "_ N...No _!" he hollered, another clash followed by his body falling again. "_ Don't … touch…"

 _He fell silent, the comm only transmitting the sound of the wind. "Fowler must have Silas distracted…" Ratchet called._

" _Optimus…" I called through the comm. "I'm right here, my love. I'm right here."_

"Cara… _."_

" _Yes love," I cheered, his voice was laced in pain. "You're almost done dear. Come back to me, okay? Finish this motherfucker off, and come back to me? We can sleep all you want in your sleeper tonight." I paused, listening as he struggled to his pedes. "Or….not,"_

 _He chuckled as I heard his pistons bring him to his full height. I listened as the sound of metals clashing continued to fill the room, Optimus calling out in rage with each hit._

"No, no, No _!"_

 _Silence after the screams of Silas. "_ Agent Fowler _?" Optimus called carefully._

"Better head back to base, Prime. I'll handle Uncle Sam _."_

* * *

" _Cara!_ " Bee cried desperately through my comm.

"Bee?" I broke free from my memory, my internal scanner searching for any sign of the others.

" _The tunnel is collapsing!_ " he cried through. I found his signal, kicking into overdrive as I headed that way. There was a pained groan as crashes echoed not only through my comm, but through the tunnels ahead of me. " _Strongarm,_ " he cried out, his voice pained. " _Secure the ceiling!_ "

As my headlights shown in the tunnel, I saw the con advancing on an injured Bumblebee, Strongarm torn between them and the roof of the tunnel that was about to collapse. "I got it, Strongarm!" I cried, moving towards the fallen road. "Get Bee!" I rushed underneath the road, transforming and pushing up, my arms shaking underneath the weight.

"Secure the road, Strongarm!" Bee demanded again, watching as the con advanced on him. "Help Cara. _No matter what_ you get that road back up!" the con blocked him from my view, Strongarm appearing behind me and pushing up. I didn't want to admit it, but it helped a tremendous amount, and now I wasn't fearing being crushed underneath the weight.

But the main thing I wasn't counting on, was the decepticon grabbing Bee in his talons.

"You Autobot's think you're so much better than everyone else, well let me tell you something. There's a new boss bot around here. And no one is ever going to laugh at me again!"

"Leave him alone!" Strongarm yelled at him.

"Listen, decepticon punk," I growled at him dangerously. "I am Ancora Prime, bonded of Optimus Prime. Release him at once or-"

"Or what?" he sneered at me, tightening his hold on Bee. "You can't do anything from up there,"

Bee scrunched his faceplates up in pain, squeezing his optics shut. I groaned, my frame shaking in pure rage as I stood there, pinned where I was. "Strongarm," I muttered behind me. "Comm Jazz and Sideswipe,"

"Already on it," she reported quietly.

I quickly ran battle plans, nixing everyone that passed by. If I left Strongarm to support this wall on her own, it'd crush her and the buildings above would come tumbling in. If Strongarm left, I would either be crushed in the same fate, or I'd watch as both of my teammates were destroyed.

"Optimus…." I whispered, desperately searching for something. "What should I do!?"

* * *

 _I felt pain shoot through my heart, the same that I assumed Optimus felt in his spark - worry. Jack rested a hand on my shoulder, easing me from my worry. A faint banging could be heard not too far away, and JAck directed me to dig in that direction._

 _I hit something metal, a loud groan heard immediately looked around, myself scampering up._

 _Bulkhead was standing in the middle of the room, his arms above him - holding the rock ceiling up!_

" _Jack! Get Miko out of here!" He pleaded. "NOW!" Jack hopped down, reaching out for Miko._

 _She shook her head, turning to Bulkhead. She reached out to her bot, whose arms were shaking badly, himself letting out a groan of pain, giving a hard heave, hauling the ceiling up even higher. "Run Miko! Go!" he ordered, glancing desperately at whatever we hit. "Go, GO!" He ordered faster._

 _Jack and Miko rolled onto the control board with me , myself immediately pushing the controls backing us up and out of there. Miko glanced behind us at the green bot we were leaving, a tear streaking down her stained face._

" _Arcee will save him, won't she?" she asked us pleadingly, looking at me for help._

" _We just have to get out of here before Megatron digs himself free," Jack stated, shooting me a pointed look._

 _Miko looked at me again, another tear streaking down her face. "Megatron?" she asked in horror. I pushed on, ignoring the pained feeling in my gut as heard Starscream's high pitched voice behind us._

 _Suddenly, something thumped in front of us. The three of us climbed up, looking at the new interruptance._

 _Arcee signalled for us to be quiet, sneaking around us. She paced silently to the front of the hole I created, weapon onlining as soon as she looked in. The three of us charged the door, peering in as Starscream turned around slowly. "_ Don't _move, Starscream," she ordered, looking at him dangerously. She looked behind the con. "Hey, Bulk," she smiled softly at him._

" _Hey, 'Cee," he grumbled, his arms shaking yet again._

" _Raise your hands." she ordered the con, who groaned in defeat raising his hands._

* * *

"Me,..." I called out, not as strongly as I had hoped.

The con turned, Bee still clutched in his claws, the sharp talons digging into the sensitive metals. "What was that?" it screeched up at me.

"Me," I demanded again, only louder, more firm. "Do what you want to me, just leave Bumblebee and Strongarm alone! Please!"

The con grinned, tossing Bee to the side. He groaned in pain, twisting around to meet my optics. "No…" he mumbled, trying to push himself up as the con walked in my direction.

"It's alright, Bee," I eased as he stopped in front of me. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."

I con reached out a single clawed digit, resting it on my cheek, before applying slight pressure and cutting deeply through the metals, leaving a blue gash. I ignored the pain best I could, staring oh so defiantly into the cons optics. The weight of the ceiling above me lowered again, and I strained to push it back up, my arms numb from the position.

Ped kicked out, connecting with the side of my knee. It buckled, myself quickly putting all of the pressure on my right knee. My left knee screamed in protest, but I ignored it, pushing up on the ceiling yet again. "Do your worst, con," I growled at him.

"I intend too," he seethed, moving forward again.

Just as I was expecting a blow, he was torn away from me.

Looking down, I saw Jazz and Sideswipe circling the con. Bee was in the same spot as before, desperately trying to get the energon to stop leaking from his wounds.

"Are you okay, Cara?" Strongarm asked me.

"Just wonderful," I growled, watching the battle below.

"This is where all the _umph_ I've saved comes in handy," Sideswipe grinned, the two mechs still circling the still con.

"Sideswipe," Jazz warned. "I don't think you should -"

"Don't worry," he cheered. "I'm just going to .. let it flow," he swayed his hips in the same action Jazz did before.

I scoffed, rolling my optics. "Great. Fate of the world lies in the hands of an _idiot_ ,"

Ped stood finally, watching the two bots. Jazz suddenly froze, his visor dropping and his shoulder plates transforming. Soundwave's erupted from his shoulder plates, knocking the the con backwards into the rock. The wall crumbled, pieces of it falling towards Sides.

"Sideswipe!" I hollered, Jazz apparently seeing it the same time I did. I watched helplessly as Jazz dived over top the young mech as a larger piece of rock fell on top of them, successfully pinning them.

"I'm getting out of here," Ped exclaimed, transforming and driving quickly out of the tunnel.

"Jazz?" I cried out, searching the rock. Bee was still unhurt, but Strongarm was struggling behind me, weight adding to her half after my knee gave out.

The massive rock moved, Jazz helping Sideswipe to stand. "Thank Primus," Strongarm sighed behind me, and I smiled at them.

* * *

Jazz helped me back to base as Strongarm and Sides helped Bee. As soon as I settled down, I scanned Bee's frame, working quickly to seal the leaking energon lines and welding the holes in his armor back shut.

"Well," Jazz cheered positively. "There's still _some_ energon left at the camp. And I have a feeling Ped won't be happy until he has every last cube."

"That's what we were thinking," Bee agreed, wincing as I finished another weld. I rolled my optics at him, ignoring the pain coming from my knee.

"You two okay?"

"Okay as we can be," Bee nodded, looking at me. "Though I think Cara's out for the time being."

"Nonsense," I argued, barely looking up from the energon line. "Just snap it back in place, weld up my face and _bam._ Done."

Bee rolled his optics, smiling at me. "Still the same Cara,"

"See that big pile of treasure?" Denny asked, pointing behind him. I took a moment to turn, seeing a giant pile of energon cubes. _Well fuck._ "There's a stasis chamber inside."

"That looks like the entire energon supply," I grumbled, returning to the weld.

"Plus some," Jazz added. "Where'd you find more?" he asked, looking down at the humans.

"Some of them are real, some we rigged up," Russell explained proudly.

"Grade-A con bait," Denny cheered as they all looked at the pile.

I sighed, patting Bee's shoulder. "Alright kid, you're fine," I smiled at him softly.

He stood, testing out his new welds before smiling down at me. "Thank you, Cara,"

"You're most welcome," I smiled up at him, before running a self scan of my knee. I frowned, grabbing it just below my knee and just above, twisting my other leg where the knees would ram.

"Do you need any -" I rammed the two together, quickly biting my cheek to avoid the scream of pain that threatened to escape. "Help?"

I shot Bee an almost amused look, before wiping at the cut on my face. "I'll be fine," I added, looking away, my voice strained with effort. The pain quickly faded, but it would still be sore to walk on. "It's fine,"

* * *

Later that night, Russell and Denny perched themselves on a shelf, the other bots and I seated on an old train car, watching the pile curiously.

"Good call on higher ground," Jazz whispered to Bee.

"I want Ped focused on the energon, not us," he responded. The ground started shaking, and Bee smiled. "Looks like he's going for it," Not long after it started, the shaking stopped.

I eyed the ground curiously, before the earth beneath the car collapsed, taking the seven of us down with it. As soon as we hit the ground, I heard Ped's ferocious roar above ground, where Denny and Russell were.

I activated my thrusters, soaring from the rubble and through the hole in the ceiling. When I emerged, Ped quickly turned from his advance on the energon cubes. I blasted towards him, knocking him away from Denny and Russell and onto the ground.

"You again?" he grumbled, picking himself off the ground as I activated my blades. "How's your knee?"

"Just peachy," I grumbled, charging the con. He easily deflected my advances, but his attacks were slow, solely reliant upon the might behind it. I grinned, allowing him a few good shots, but ducking away last minute. I turned to fire and slashi upon him in return, earning a few pained growls from him.

"When I'm through with you, no other decepticon will mess with me!" He cheered, deflecting a blow of mine. "I took out Ancora Prime, no one will doubt my might!"

"Think again," I groaned as he pressed his claws against my blades, shoving me back. It was obvious he was stronger than me, but I wasn't going to allow him to abuse me. I grunted in effort, my already tired arms straining against the new might.

Sideswipe emerged next, shouting a demand at Denny and Russell before kicking Ped away from me. He fell to the side, Sides turning to offer my a servo. "Need a hand?" he asked with a smile as I shook my arms, getting feeling back into them.

"Never better," I smiled, as we charged the con together.

Ped dived into the earth, Sides and I freezing, scanning the ground behind us. We weren't expecting him to emerge from behind us again, which was exactly what he did. I lashed out at the con, only to have him tunnel again, appearing behind Sides.

"So this is how it's going to be?" I groaned, lashing out at him again as he avoided Sideswipe.

Jazz and Bumblebee landed from the crane that Denny and Russell used to get them out, running for us in the next second. Jazz didn't see Ped emerging behind him, myself quickly activating my thrusters. I moved to grab Jazz, but the con locked onto my ankle, pulling myself back down. He shocked the both of us, the electricity overloading my circuits. I stood limp in the con's servos, Jazz the same next to me. I struggled to sync my processors again, hearing Sides and Bee say something.

"Hey, botworm!" Sides called.

"My name is Ped," the con growled, turning to face Sides but not letting go of me. I scanned my systems, finding nothing wrong but. … a fully recharged system. _Awesome._

"Guess I got confused," Sides shrugged. "Because you know what a worm is on this planet? It's a slimy little stick that spends its life hiding under ground. Until it's stuck on a hook and used for fish bait, botworm,"

"I said my name is Ped," the con growled, tightening his grip around Jazz and I. I felt the smaller bot squirm next to me, the weight around my waist not entirely pleasant. "And you better get that straight. In a few weeks I'll be running the world."

"For a while, maybe, _Botworm_. Until you run out of energon. Then you'll be what you've always been to the other decepticons: the lowest of the low! A lousy, stinking scavenger. A bot worm!"

Ped growled angrily, tossing Jazz and I aside as he charged Sides. I latched out for Jazz, activating my thrusters and avoiding the crash to the ground, circling around back to the other two. I quickly scanned Jazz's frame, and finding nothing, moved back to the stasis pod behind the stack of energon. Sides and Ped were both inside, Sides desperately trying to avoid his talons.

"Bee, now!"

"Not with you inside," Bumblebee stated flatly, watching the two.

"Do it!" Sides screamed from inside, shooting a pleading yet demanding look at Bee.

I was struggling with the situation, when Jazz rested a gentle hand on Bee. "Mind if I join him?" he asked with a smile, back flipping into the pod without waiting an answer.

They both quickly overpowered Ped, climbing out of the pod. Bee slammed the door shut, locking the con into stasis.

Jazz and Sideswipe shared a fist bump.

* * *

It was again dawn by the time we got around to getting Strongarm and Grimlock back out of the hole. Denny insisted on pulling them out with the magnet, something I was much grateful for because I didn't think my frame could take anymore strained efforts. The cable broke, causing Denny to rush away to get replacement to pull Grimlock out, helpfully telling the dinobot to stay where he was.

"My ship's just a couple of kliks away," Jazz reported as I continued fixing a few things on my leg. "When I get to Cybertron, I'll clean up your mess with the council. Promise,"

"Then you'll come back?" Sideswipe asked, hopeful.

"Wouldn't mind another road trip," he smiled. "I could learn a lot from you."

Sideswipe froze, optics wide. "I think that's my line…" he shook his frame. "Thanks… and stuff,"

"Look, you had it in you from the jump, Sideswipe. You just need to stop caring about what others think of you. That's something he never learned," he gestured back towards Ped, who was sleeping soundly in the stasis pod.

Jazz and Bee shared a handshake and their good byes, myself sending an informal departure, something that apparently freaked Jazz out, before he transformed and drove out of the scrapyard.

"Looks like someone found a role model," Strongarm chided at Sides.

"Helllo," Grim called from below. "Anybody up there? Dinobot in a hole!"

I laughed softly, flipping into the hole and landing next to him. "We haven't forgotten," I smiled, settling back into seat on the ground, fiddling with my wires and exchanging light conversation with the bot as we waited on the human's return.


	11. Adventures in Bumblebee-Sitting!

"I will not be crushed under your oppression!"

I groaned, shifting into a higher gear as I chased the running decepticon. Grimlock was in front, deflecting a strike as the others advanced around me. It wasn't easy tracking this one down, and I wasn't about to lose her again.

Until I did.

We breaked to a halt, some of us slower to gather that than others. Grimlock slammed into us, mumbling a sorry as the con transformed and drove out of sight.

"Split up," Bee ordered, driving forward.

" _Got him,_ " Came the call from Strongarm. I quickly locked onto her coordinates, driving that way. I transformed as we approached, the others doing the same, effectively boxing the con in.

"Just come along quietly," Bumblebee tried to reason as he added the last corner, officially trapping him.

"Heroes of the revolution never 'come along quietly,'" he snarled, twisting. Around so his back was facing Bee. He released his glowing quills, twisting as he chose different bots to fire upon. As they headed towards me, I transformed my servo, slashing out at them and destroying any who neared my frame.

"Uh oh…"

I looked over to Grimlock, who was the only one still standing. "Grim!" I shouted, running for him. Bee apparently had the same idea, reaching him first and in time. They both crashed into the ground, … on top of me. I groaned at the combined weight, the pressure crushing the metals of my abdomen.

"I… I won?" the con asked, before cheering into the skies. "I won! Quillfire was here!"

Grimlock pushed himself up, seeing my frame underneath his. Bee tumbled off of his back, Grimlock offering me a servo up.

"Come on Bee," I turned to him, helping him up.

He groaned in pain, watching where the con retreated. "Autobots, roll up…. And, and, ..roll up,..." he vented a deep sigh, swaying before going down.

"Bee!" I cried, reaching out and stopping him from hitting the ground. I ran a quick scan.

"That was Bumblebee's worse battle cry yet," Grimlock observed as Strongarm and Sideswipe appeared at my side.

"He was struck," I stated after reviewing my scan's results. I twisted Bee in my arms, showing the protrusion in his back struts. "Let's get back to base."

I transformed, summoning my trailer from subspace. Grimlock carried Bumblebee inside, as Strongarm and Sideswipe waited, their engines rumbling beside me. "Ooh, ooh," Grimlock cheered as the doors to the trailer shut. "You do one, battle cry, say it,"

I rolled my optics, beginning a slow transmission. "Autobots, roll out!"

We began to pull forward, my gears shifting faster than before, the two beside me rushing ahead.

" _Why was yours so much better than any Bee's come up with?_ " Sideswipe asked me.

"Because mine is my Optimus'," I chuckled.

* * *

We got him back to the base, Fixit rushing over immediately. He insisted on looking at the bot, something I had tried to explain to him was unnecessary, but he insisted anyways.

"Is Bumblebee going to be okay?" Russell asked worriedly.

"Yes, he should be," I growled lowly.

"We just need to get the quill out of his back," .Fixit replied, turning to me. I rolled my optics. "Cara, please assist," the minicon transformed into a pair of pliers, falling into my servos. I reached out, plucking the damned thing straight out, Bee letting out a shout of pain as it pulled through. "Operation success," Fixit smiled, transforming in my hand as I set him down, he zoomed away, the others gathering around him for a report on the new con.

I scanned my little brother again, finding nothing wrong with his body. The place on his back struts wasn't large enough for energon to seep out, therefore wasn't in need of a weld. I vented a sigh, settling down beside him on the ground.

"Hey!" Strongarm cheered. "I just realized, while Bumblebee is incapacitated, I am in charge!"

"Did we decide that?" Grimlock argued. "When did we decide that?"

"Actually, _cadet_ ," Sideswipe argued. "I believe Ancora _Prime_ is in charge!"

"I will not interfere with missions anymore than I have been," I called out. "I dismissed my power of Prime to the high council on Cybertron, I do not have the right to use it over your helms here. If the cadet is willing to take on the leadership role, I will help her as I do Bee, but nothing more."

Sideswipe visibly sagged. "I'm supposed to take orders… from you?" he growled. "Maybe Quillfire has the right idea about authority,"

Bumblebee pushed himself up, Sides and Grim looking hopeful. He twisted over, falling in my lap weakly. "Bumblebee?" I asked hesitantly.

"Strongarm's not in charge is she?" Sides asked.

"I'm up to the task, sir!" she argued.

I shot the bots dirty looks as Bee continued to try and reboot his processors.

Bee vented a sigh, looking up. "It's...It's… a three-winged sparkle-armored Shlopticon!" he cheered, pointing into the sky.

"What!?" I asked, grabbing his helm.

"Where?" Grim asked, the three of them looking in the sky where he was pointing.

Bee erupted into laughter, my optics narrowing at him. "Made you look!" he cheered, laughing uncontrollably. "I made - I made - I made you look!" he pulled himself from my lap, transforming and driving out of the base.

"... What the hell just happened?"

* * *

I soared high above the grounds, searching the roads below for the familiar yellow and black car. It had been decided that Quillfire's quill had affected the maturity level of Bee, something I was so thrilled about. I volunteered to take on Bumblebee-sitting so that the other three could focus on capturing Quillfire.

" _Uh, Cara?_ "

"Yes Grimlock?" I replied, hearing Bee's laughter in the background.

" _Found him,_ "

I turned quickly, racing back to base.

When I got there, Fixit and Russell were examining the quill that they had pulled from Bee's back. I transformed, dropping to the ground. "Where is he?"

Sideswipe chuckled, multiple bolts falling from his frame as he approached. Strongarm squished her way forward next, Sides not even trying to contain his laughter at her foam-covered frame. I quirked an optic ridge at her.

"It's fire extinguisher foam," she replied, her face not a happy one. "This isn't covered in any manuals I've read," she shook the foam from her body. "Just tell me you have a way to fix the Lieutenant,"

"Unfortunately, according to our studies, Bumblebee will remain altered so long as Quillfire's toxin stays active in his body,"

"It's kind of like when a human eats a lot of sugar," Russell replied, looking at me.

"Oh, great," I sagged, turning back to the masses of shelves within the yard.

"I'm the kind of the clothes dryers!" Bee's voice cheered. I turned, seeing the bot precariously perched on top of a mountain of dryers.

"Don't worry, I've seen my fair share of sugar rushes in my day," Russell smiled.

"Bumblebee," I called out, moving towards the edge of the mountain. "Come down at once,"

He sagged his shoulders, before the unbalanced pile crashed to the ground. Bee landed amidst them, laughing all the same. I stood in front of him, hands on hips, a soft smile plastered on my hips. "I was on dryers," he laughed.

"Bumblebee," I rumbled deeply, using my best Optimus voice. "Do you really think that was a good idea? You could've hurt yourself," he bowed his helm as I helped him to his feet. "It's okay to have fun, but do it safely. Understood?"

"Yes, Prime," he cheered, turning to run off.

"Hold up!" I cried, pulling him back. "Stay within the walls of the base, okay? If you want to go out, just fine me, we just don't want you getting lost, okay?"

"Yes Prime!" he cheered again, shifting his pedes anxiously. "Can I go now?"

I chuckled, releasing him. "Yes,"

When the yellow bot disappeared, the others stared at me. "What?"

"How did you do that?" Russell asked me.

I shrugged. "Younglings are fond of Primes," I shrugged. "I bear the scent of my Optimus, and since he was Bee's father figure-"

"What?" Strongarm stopped me.

"Optimus is Bumblebee's dad?" Russell quizzed.

"No!" I cut them short. "Bumblebee was orphaned. When he finally got of age to fight, he had already been fighting for centuries. He was the youngest bot on our team for a while, and since Optimus was the Prime, Bee looked up to him."

"Ohh,"

* * *

I walked the aisles of the yard again, watching Bumblebee as he set out traps for the other bots. I had to admit, they were all very good ones, and I was thankful I saw where he put each one so I could avoid them.

Strongarm growled in a disgusted manner, and I twisted to find her standing in one of Bee's traps.

"There's something wrong with your foot," Grimlock so helpfully pointed out, gesturing to the bath tub Strongarm was trapped in.

"Help me get this off!" she argued with them. Grimlock pulled on it, whatever substance it was not breaking its hold. I giggled softly as Sideswipe laughed at their expense. Eventually, Strongarm fell back, free, but Grim shook the tub, which was now stuck to his servo. Sides continued laughing as I turned back around to look for Bee.

Who was gone.

"Bumblebee!" I called out loud and through my comm. "Where are you?"

" _Uh…._ " he paused, answering through the comm. " _At the base?_ "

"Bee…" I rumbled threateningly. "Where are you?"

" _... Outside of the base?_ "

I vented a sigh. "Return, please?"

" _Fine…_ "

"Thank you," I turned back to the others, only to find Sideswipe. "Where are Strongarm and Grim?"

"They left to find Quillfire," he responded. "I'm supposed to watch Bumblebee, but I don't know how since you're kind of doing that,"

I rolled my optics, turning when I heard Bee's engine rumbled through the doors. I turned, seeing Bee drive through a mud puddle at Sides' pedes, successfully splashing mud up his frame. I cleared my throat, waiting for Bee to come back. He performed a single donut, headed in our direction again, splashing through the same mud puddle and drenching the bot above. He laughed as he transformed, stopping in front of me.

"Bumblebee," I sighed, with a soft smile. "What am I going to do with you?"

"We need to get him to sit still and stay quiet," Sides growled at him, wiping mud away from his optics.

"That's going to be hard," Fixit interrupted as Bee hugged me, sticking his glossa out at Sides. "Bumblebee currently has the maturity level of an earth child even younger than Russell,"

"Okay, so how did my babysitters get me to sit still?" the boy puzzled, looking at Bee as he messed with my servo.

"Duct tape?" Sides offered.

"How about…" I trailed off, looking at the bot. "A movie!?"

Bee's faceplates broadened, Russell and Sideswipe running off to start one. Bee bounced behind them, sitting down as it started.

"This movie is fantastic!" Russell called.

"I cannot stop watching it," Sideswipe added as Bee leaned forward, watching the cowboys on screen with a new interest.

I laughed, looking into the stars. "Optimus, you are one force to be reckoned with," I laid on the ground, facing the stars. I offlined my optics, feeling my bot near me. "Would it kill you to appear for _me_ , not just to help Bumblebee?" I felt a warmth in my spark, coming from Optimus' half of the bond. I smiled, easing into the feeling, before it slowly drifted away. I sighed, trying not to let disappointment come too hard. "At least I know you're alive,"

I felt a shadow drift across my frame, myself opening an optic to see Bumblebee looming over me, a huge smile plastered across his faceplates.

"Yes, darling?" I asked him, moving to sit up.

"There's a circus," he cheered, dancing around me as I rested an arm on my knee. "I heard there's a circus, can we go to the circus? Pleeease,"

I vented a sigh. "We have to check that there are no humans first, understand?"

"Yes Prime!" he cheered, transforming and revving his engines. "Hurry hurry hurry hurry,"

I laughed, transforming into the peterbilt and leading the speed demon out of the base and in the direction of Strongarm and Grimlock.

* * *

I stood behind Grimlock, Bumblebee sitting at my feet waiting impatiently. He occasionally twisted, throwing something at Grim who only growled lowly in response. Bee thought it was the funniest thing ever.

"Attention!" Strongarm called out below, her vehicle form proving of use in this instance, convincing the police department to retreat. "False alarm! Please return to Crown City immediately! We have reports of a nefarious motorcycle gang making illegal left turns all over downtown!"

The police cars did just that, sirens wailing as they took off toward the city. Strongarm transformed, moving into the park.

Bee cheered, running down the hill. "Bumblebee, wait-"

"He's gone," Grimlock pointed out to me as the bot slid down the hill.

"Y'think?" I shot him a smile, before quickly chasing after Bee. I paused, seeing a cloud of dust appear from the ground below, neither Strongarm nor Bumblebee in sight. "Where-"

I was interrupted by the trumpeting of an elephant. I growled, speeding up my pursuit of the yellow bot. Grimlock transformed, pounding ahead of me.

"Coming through!" he called, just as Bee and Strongarm ran past. I reached out, grabbing a hold of Bee's arm and pulling him to a stop. The bot twisted in my arms, watching as the dinobot wrecked into the elephants, stopping them cold. "Sorry!" he called back.

"Wicked!" Bee cheered. "Elephants, _and_ dinosaurs. You're the best Prime ever!" he wrapped his arms around my waist, before pulling away and running again.

"I wish I could tell you how wrong you are,..." I muttered, watching him as he curiously messed with the carousel.

"A couple of them elephants ran off," Grim reported to Strongarm.

"We better find them before anyone gets hurt," she muttered, contemplating.

"What's the plan boss?" I asked her, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Cool!" Bee cheered again. "I get to hunt for elephants!"

"No!" Strongarm stopped him, Bee's faceplates dropping instantly. "It's more like… cowboys and elephants?" Bee's face lifted. "You can help us rally up the pachyderms, and put them back in their pen,"

"I'll be your horse," I called, transforming into my peterbilt. Bee cheered, climbing onto my roof and securing himself.

"I _love_ cowboys!" he cheered.

"I know.." Strongarm smiled.

Bee puzzled for a moment. "Can I be a cowboy that rides a dinosaur?"

"Sure!"

"No!"

I laughed at Grimlock as the bot jumped from my roof and onto Grim's back. Strongarm climbed onto my roof, Bee already ordering the dinobot to giddyup.

* * *

Due to some unknown reasons, the elephants eventually ended up back in the pen. Strongarm climbed off of me as Bee jumped down, Grim and I transforming.

"That was… the best!" Bee cheered again.

"You weren't the one getting autobot heels dug into your side," Grim mumbled, rubbing his back struts. I ran a quick scan, finding only the slightest dents.

"They're only small," I replied with a gentle smile. "I'll get them out when we get back home,"

" _Cadet Strongarm,_ " Fixit hailed through the comm system. " _I have tracked Quillfire's signal, and it's in the same vicinity that you are!_ "

"Okay," Strongarm called as she pulled her blaster out. "Keep very quiet so we can surprise him," In the exact moment that she said that, all of the lights on the machines and the rides and attractions came on, the sound of the power crescendoing. "Quillfire must've turned those on to distract us,"

"I don't think so, hun," I eased, seeing no trace of Bumblebee.

Grimlock tapped my shoulder plates, myself turning to see what he was pointing at.

"Yee-haw!" Bumblebee cheered before he started cackling again. He was riding the bumper cars, one car in each pede, skating precariously across the ground. I groaned, facepalming as Strongarm turned to see.

"Note to self: next time, don't volunteer so quickly to be team leader," I looked at her curiously as she turned to me. "Ancora Prime… Cara, can you help?"

I smiled, thinking about Optimus. _What would he do first?_

"Okay," I demanded. "Bumblebee is safe as long as he doesn't get caught in the crossfire. Grimlock," the bot visibly sagged as I called for him. "As much as you hate it, you're a dinosaur. You're the easiest option to distract Bee. I promise, I will ding every dent out of your armour when this is over,"

He grumbled, but transformed and headed towards Bee.

"Strongarm, you and I will go after Quillfire." she nodded, myself transforming my servos into blasters. We split up, moving around different attractions, searching for any sign of the con.

"Cara, over here," Strongarm called out, gesturing towards the spinning ride.

I moved closer, Strongarm leading me to climb onto it. She gestured towards the symbol etched in the metals.

The ride started .. moving. And worse yet: it was spinning!

The force knocked us into the railings along the side, if it was even possible it speeding up. I felt my stomach churn, and before I could remember I didn't have a stomach, started dry heaving. Suddenly, the ride stopped, the base slowly lowering itself I down to the ground.

I collapsed onto the ground, digging my digits into the ground below, dry heaving up nothing. I groaned, trying to remind my body that I wasn't human anymore, I didn't have anything to purge in my non-existent stomach. Grimlock leaned down to face me, Strongarm walking off behind me.

"That was worth the price of admission, don't you think?" Grim rumbled to me, offering me a servo as I stood back up on uneasy pedes.

"Grimlock," I groaned, my helm still spinning. "If you're here, where's Bee?"

The bot stiffened, looking around his frame. "Well…. He was here,"

I sighed, pushing forward, only swaying slightly in my steps. I paused when I heard the con screaming behind me.

"I'm guessing he's over that way," Grim pointed, the two of them trudging ahead.

By the time I reached the tent where I heard Bee's cackling laughter, he was soaring through the air.

"Fool!" Quillfire snarled from below. "You've placed yourself where I can strike you!" he twisted, his quills firing from his back struts again.

"Bee!" I cried out, still struggling with my footing.

The yellow bot tumbled out of the way last minute, landing on the trampolines below and sending the con soaring into the air, into his own defences.

"Gotcha a present, Lady Prime," Bee cheered as he bounced some more on the trampolines.

I smiled up at him. "Why, that's very kind of you, Bumblebee,"

Grimlock reached out, catching the con as he returned back to the ground. "I don't feel well…." he trailed off, successfully going into a stasis lock.

"Come on, Bee," I called out. "Time to go home,"

The bot stopped bouncing, slowly stepping off of the mats. "Aw,..." he pushed through the tent, pouting slightly, until he saw the funny mirrors across the way. "Major coolness!" he cheered, moving in front of them and taking various stances.

"How can he still be so energized?" Strongarm asked as we paused to watch him.

"If the real Bumblebee were here, he'd know what to do,"

I scoffed. "Grimlock, that _is_ the real Bumblebee," Strongarm looked around the carnival for a moment, before her optics widened and she smirked. "What are you planning?"

* * *

"I thought you said this ride was awesome!" Bee protested as I stepped of the high tower, allowing my thrusters to slow my decent down.

I landed next to Strongarm, who looked up at the bot in awe. Grimlock had climbed down earlier, standing next to the still knocked out con. We had successfully chained Bee to the clown at the top.

"Looks pretty awesome to me," Strongarm relaxed, looking up at Bee.

"Hey!" he cheered down. "I can - well, you can't, but I can see the scrap yard from here!" I laughed, sitting down and running a scan over my systems. "I'm still waiting on the awesome!"

"Come here, Grim," I ordered, moving towards him. "Let's see about getting the dents out of your armor.

He obliged, moving towards me. "Did you ever do anything like this when you were with Optimus and his team?" he asked me curiously. Strongarm sat across from us, Bee still talking about something high up.

I laughed. "Not quite. … But I do have a couple stories with Bee,"

"Oh, do tell," Strongarm sunk back against the ride's base as I gently poked around the edges of the dent.

"Well," I sighed. "One time, Jack, one of the humans, convinced Bee to go racing with him."

"The lieutenant street racing?" Strongarm stared at me in shock. "And to think he gives Sideswipe a hard time,"

"Only because of what happened, Strongarm," I eased. "One of the cons got a hold of a human racing against them, and they had tried so hard to hide it from my Optimus, when he found out he wasn't as excited."

"What'd he do?" Grim asked, watching my servos as I pounded at the dent.

* * *

" _You are so protective." I folded my arms in front of my chest, leaning into his seat. "I am perfectly safe with you, Optimus!"_

" _But that does not mean you may accompany me on every mission!" He protested. "They are dangerous and I will_ not _put you at unnecessary risk!"_

" _Optimus, I want to spend_ time _with you."_

" _We spend every minute on base together."_

 _I scrunched my face at the mirror. "That's not the same as_ alone _time." Through the rocks, I could see the flashing of a pair of headlights. "There he is."_

 _Optimus blared his horn as he caught up with the same red speed demon from the night before. He bumped into him slightly, the much smaller car veering off, spinning into a ditch nearby. Optimus transformed, myself landing in his hand, then resting on his shoulder plates the next second. I tucked myself in so he wouldn't have to worry about me falling._

"Optimus _," Arcee's voice carried through the open Comm as Optimus approached the vehicle frantically trying to reverse out of there. "_ Knockout has a hostage."

" _Understood." he responded flatly._

 _He grabbed hold of the cons bumper, lifting him with ease straight into the air. I watched in astonishment as Optimus ripped the drivers side door off, the con letting out a groan of pain. He reached in, tugging a small boy out. The car transformed out of Optimus' hand, staring at his forearm that was missing a valued piece of metal._

" _Ah! Do you know how hard that is to replace!?"_

 _Optimus stared the con down, the other Autobot's approaching behind us. The red optics met mine, narrowing slightly, then he transformed, driving away quickly._

" _Well…." I laughed. "He doesn't seem to happy."_

* * *

Grimlock laughed, struggling about not pulling away. I couldn't help but chuckle softly at the memory, thinking back to when it happened.

"That story is boring," Strongarm complained. "Don't you have any. … amazing stories about Bee?"

"I have a couple, actually." I vented a sigh, leaning back. "Bumblebee scouted _inside_ of Megatron's mind to get the cure for the Cybonic Plague," Strongarm and Grimlock stared at me with wide optics. "Yeah, you heard me. Bumblebee is the best, and bravest scout in the history of scouts,"

"Woa,..." Grim trailed off, looking up to where Bee was positioned. "I didn't know that!"

I scoffed. "I teach it all the time in my class," I rumbled. "Maybe you should think about taking it,"

"Or you could tell the story now," Strongarm cheered, resting beside me.

I laughed. "Optimus, Ratchet and I investigated an autobot emergency beacon. There, we found a plague ship, and Optimus was infected in his right optic. Bee and Arcee traveled to the decepticon warship to try to find a cure, when they discovered Megatron on life support. Ratchet talked Arcee through the procedure of a cortical psychic patch, Bee traveling into his mind to find the cure,"

"Wow…" Grimlock trailed off, looking down to me. I moved from the dent I was working on, it popped out and moving onto another. "What else?"

I vented a sigh, thinking back to the final days with Megatron. "He killed Megatron,"

* * *

"Optimus _," Bee buzzed. "_ I'm up here, I'm coming _!"_

" _The star saber!" I heard Megatron growl before attacking Optimus as he watched his scout._

 _I watched helplessly as Bee jumped from the column, holding the sword above his head. I quickly calculated his trajectory and the metal below, and he was going to make it! I smiled widely, turning towards the two scuffling below, when I saw Megatron. He lifted his blaster, and fired three shots before Optimus could get up and stop him. As Optimus pushed him to the ground, I watched as the shots moved up. … to Bee._

 _Each shot hit the scout directly in the chest plates. I watched as his optics widened, and as the blasts ate away at his spark. The star saber fell from his servos, moving to clatter to the metal below as Bee slowly sunk into whatever liquid the pool was holding._

 _My spark was frozen. I was angry, I was devastated, I was broken. Pain shot from my wound, but it was nothing compared to the pain I felt in my chest. I kept scanning the light blue matter, waiting for my yellow bug to reappear. Starscream's vehicon drones surrounded me, grabbing a hold of my arms and pulling them behind me, but I barely noticed. My spark ached, it felt like I was out of energon, I was out of energy. I kept seeing my Bee sinking into the matter, his dark optics not seeing anything._ Raf _. What were we going to tell Raf._

 _My thoughts were interrupted by a ferocious growl of rage. I looked down to my Optimus just in time to see him punch a maniacal grin right off of the warlords face. Directly following that was another punch. One of the vehicons behind me pulled my arm back, straining the cables supporting my wound and I let out a cry of pain. Optimus' frame shuddered in, if it was even possible, even more rage as he released punch after punch after punch, all of his might going into each one. It was a thing a beauty, something I would admire if it wasn't for the situation. Megatron fell against a column, his mighty frame collapsing to the metals below. I scanned the matter one more time, desperately searching for any signs of Bumblebee's life. Something, anything! Optimus called for his blaster, turning it toward Megatron, who was reaching for-_

" _Optimus!" I hollered, watching as Megatron pulled the dark star saber out of a ledge, and firing it at my bot. It connected with his frame, sending him backwards and over the edge. "No!" I pulled myself from the vehicon forces, only to be tackled back onto the ground before I could even make three steps. "Optimus, no!" I cried again, the weight of the cons on my back shoving my damaged metals into the ground below._

 _Megatron pounded in the direction that Optimus fell, peering over the ledge. He raised his saber high above his helm, sneering below. "Prepare to join your_ scout _in the Allspark!"_

"Megatron _!"_

 _The warlord turned to face the voice that I had never heard before. It was young, masculine, and filled with rage. When I scanned the matter once more, I saw a black form with yellow stripes. "It can't be…." I whispered in shock._

 _The form lunged forward with all of his might, sending the star saber directly through the center of the Megatron's chest. "You took my voice," the mech said in a dark, dangerous tone as he held onto the sword. "You will never rob anyone of anything,_ ever _again,"_

* * *

It was beginning to turn daylight, the dent buffing out by the time I had finished the story. Grim and Strongarm were quiet, letting my words soak in. Bumblebee, high above, had calmed down a while ago, silent above.

"So…" the cadet stated, looking at me. "The lieutenant… died?"

I nodded. "Still one of the scariest few minutes of my life," I vented a sigh, straightening my back struts.

"He really did save Cybertron, didn't he?" she trailed off, looking up. "It really is an honor,"

I heard a deep groan from above, before a low, raspy voice called out "What's with the restraints?"

I laughed, backing up to look up at Bumblebee. "Hey kid!" I called up to him.

"Is this one of Sideswipe's pranks?" he asked, jostling the chains. I activated my thrusters, flying up to hover in front of Bee. "Hi," he winced. "Ugh, why does my head feel so heavy?"

I chuckled pulling him free.

* * *

"Nice work, team," Bee stated as we locked Quillfire into a stasis pod. I was back to work on Grimlock's dents, Strongarm standing next to Bee who was still very groggy.

"It was all you, sir," she told him. "You nabbed the decepticon."

"Well, that's what you keep saying. I just wish I could remember what happened,"

"Trust me, brother," I cheered. "You don't _want_ to remember."

"Nah, you don't. Really," Grimlock urged. "But Strongarm here did a great job of filling your stabilizers while you were … out,"

"Well, I think a thanks is in order, cadet," Bee smiled down at her.

"Proud to serve, sir," she straightened. "Though I hope to not be needed like that again,"

Bee walked away, Sideswipe leaning down to me. "So.. we're not going to tell Bumblebee how I messed up while I was supposed to be watching him?"

"That happened while I was temporary team leader," Strongarm replied before I could. "Now I'm just happy to be apart of the team again."

Bumblebee let out a disgusted groan, myself twisting to see he was stuck in the same tub that he had caught Strongarm in a few hours earlier. "Rubber cement?" he asked, analyzing it. "Classic,"


	12. Hunting Season

"Alright," I smiled at Denny, leaning back against the wall. "Give me your best one yet,"

Denny cleared his throat, smiling before quickly covering it. "Oh, ja, hey. I'm from the Park Service. Sorry, but this trail is closed, don't you know?"

"Wow!" Grimlock cheered, lifting his head off of my femoral. "It's like one minutes you're that guy, and then _boom!_ Suddenly you're someone else!"

"The secret is to really get inside a character's head," Denny smiled, pulling out a mustache sticking it on.

"Ooh," Grim cheered. "Do another one do another one!"

I rolled my optics, watching the two. "I say," Denny stated, looking up at Grim as he put a hat on. "I'm inspector Nigel Nigel of Her Majesty's new Scotland Yard."

"And I am the inspector's assistant," Russell dived in on his knees, wearing a tophat of his own. "Sir Duke of Earl."

"Hey Duke," Denny sighed deeply, kneeling down to him. "We need to talk,"

"Uh oh…" I called, pushing Grim off of my thigh again and away. "Now's where we depart,"

"Aw…" Grim sulked as he pulled away, We moved back to the control center, where I leaned against the communications hub, Grim returning to my thigh. "Cara, tell a story," he commanded as Fixit raised an optic ridge at me.

"A story?" I laughed, looking down at him. "What kind?"

"Hm…." he pondered a moment. "A good one,"

I laughed again, thinking back to my days with Optimus.

* * *

" _I cannot allow that to happen, Megatron."_

 _The con whirled around in surprise as I stared at the very mech I had fought so hard to save. The graveness of his voice made me question weather or not what I saw in Earth's core was even real as he glared threateningly at the con._

" _And why should you care, Orion Pax?" Megatron turned to my bot, who narrowed his optics softly. "You are no Prime."_

 _I hauled myself over the ledge, struggling to bite back a scream of pain as my left arm raked across the ground underneath my body, the bones on the inside grinding together. I managed to allow nothing more than a slight groan escape. I turned my eyes back to the red and blue mech, who, upon contact, turned his optics away from me and back to the con. "That may be true…" he rumbled in the deep baritone I missed so much. "Or yet another deception. But this much I do know: My sympathies lie with the autobots; and you are not one of us," he threw his servos down, turning into swords, the one on his right hand broke in half. He let out a ferocious roar, one that I had heard before as he was engaged in battle, as he charged the con dangerously._

…

" _No!" he shouted, raising his sheathed sword high above Optimus' turned helm._

 _I cringed as the sound of metal on metal thundered through the rocks. I slowly peered through my clenched eyes, to find Optimus holding Megatron's weapon between his two servos. "Megatron…" he growled, his facemask sheathing instantly. He readjusted his grip on the blade, holding it in one servo as the other closed into a fist and pulled back. "Begone!" He rose from his knees, socking the surprised warlord continuously back, making his way towards me as he did. I heard the others weakly rise to the metal platform, watching in glee at the sheer power of their leader. He served an upcut to his chin, sending the con flying backwards and into the rock face behind him. Optimus turned to me, optics scanning me quickly. They narrowed before he gently kneeled down to me, gathering me in his servos. I winced as my left arm moved, trying to force back the tears in my eyes. The others joined us as Optimus shifted me into his left hand, his right changing into his blaster._

* * *

An alarm sounding from the command center behind me interrupted my story. Grim sagged again, but quickly snapped to attention when Bee and the others appeared.

"What's the scoop, Fixit?" he asked.

"Sensors detect two Cybertronian ships landing in the forest West of Crown City." Fixit isolated the signals, zooming in on them as I hauled myself to my pedes. "Scans are inconclusive,"

"We should prepare for hostiles just in case," Bee said, looking at me.

"Okay, I'm prepared," Grim smiled, pounding his fist into his servo.

"Hang on, Grim," Bee eased. "There's a hunting lodge in that area. If we run into the locals, it might be tough to explain a big metal you,"

Grim narrowed his optics at Bee, sulking again.

"I'll stay with Grim," I volunteered, smiling at the dinobot. "We've got a story to finish, anyways,"

* * *

"Alright, enough of this mopey shit," I argued, gesturing towards Russell and Grimlock who were laying across the ground, watching the kid's TV.

"You're not supposed to cuss around me," Russell reminded me, again, not even moving.

"Well…" I stuttered. After my story ended, Grimlock lost interest and moved over here, and hadn't moved since. "Let's play something. Come on, get up," I grabbed Grim's arm, pulling him towards me with all my might. I got him up, but one cannot make a bot balance if the bot doesn't want to. "Ugh, _Grimlock_ let's _go_ ,"

"I'm okay here," he said, rolling over my back, falling to the ground.

I grumbled about seven different other things, turning back to the empty yard. I was in the middle of searching for something to beat them with, when I heard engines approaching.

"The boundaries of your garbage repository," a voice pattern I didn't recognize stated flatly. "They are reinforced only by derelict machinery?"

I heard Denny growl as I pulled myself up, moving around towards the voices. "This is actual a vintage salvage depot-"

"Drift," Bee eased. "We can defend ourselves,"

"The life-debt demands that I do all I can to protect you,"

I moved around the corner, seeing a strange ninja looking bot I recognized.

"Bee's right," Russell argued, the other bots and Fixit accompanying him. "These bots are good. They've stopped a bunch of decepticons,"

"And we've got something better," Bee said, looking over the new bot's shoulder plates. "We've got a Prime,"

"How can that be?" he questioned. "Optimus Prime has been gone for -"

"Not Optimus," I called, finally stepping out. "Me. But I am nothing special," The new bot turned to face me, raising an optic ridge at me. "I am -"

"Ancora Prime," he said, watching my hand that I held out for him. "The stolen title,"

I gaped at him. "E-excuse me?"

"A title given through a manipulated, one sided bonding is not a true one,"

My processors must've glitched, because I just gaped at the bot, my servo still outstretched. I felt Bee tense beside me, my servo shaking. The shaking moved up my arm and through my chest, throughout my whole frame. My chest flared angrily, but it calmed down, then flared in agony, before relaxing, then to anger again.

The bot turned to Bee. "Your inexperienced law officer, juvenile delinquent, oafish dinobot, damaged mini con, human pets, and false Prime are no match for an enemy as devious as Fracture,"

I growled low, clenching my optics shut as I fought the urge to rip his helm off. "Bumblebee," I growled as the bots behind me started seething in anger.

"Strongarm is _not_ oafish," Sideswipe growled, pushing past me to gang up on the bot.

"Sideswipe," Bee warned, pushing him back.

"Don't worry," I interrupted Bee, pulling Sides to the other side of me. "I'll take care of the fucker,"

"Your foolish earth threats mean nothing to me," he stated, not even flinching.

"Carabelle…" Bee warned.

"Can I help you, _sir_?" I growled at him.

"What would Optimus say?"

"I'd tell Optimus to shove it up his ass," I growled, glaring at the bot in front of me.

"Why don't you and the others go set up a place for our… _guests_ to relax?"

I growled lowly, glaring at the bot. "I swear to the gods above, Bumblebee." I warned, turning away. I gathered Russell in my servos, the minicons below following us to the command center. Grimlock, Sideswipe and Strongarm pulling away to do their own thing.

I set Russell down, the three minicons scrambling up after him. I settled with my back leaning against the center, watching as Bee showed the new bot around.

"That bot's your sensai?" Russell asked the two newcomers.

"Master Drift is a wonderful teacher," one reported. "He took us from lives of petty thievery and granted us the honor of serving and learning from him,"

The other one sighed lowly. "I am a constant disappointment," the other, darker one said softly.

"Jetstorm, that is not true," the redder one replied. "Master Drift has high standards, and he does not give praise easily,"

I scoffed. "'Master Drift,' is about to get his hide kicked,"

An awkward silence hung in the air, and I suddenly felt a pang of guilt in my spark. _I'm angry at Drift, not them._ I turned back to them, smiling sweetly, forcing my emotions behind me.

"What do you guys do for fun?" I asked, nudging Russell slightly.

The two exchanged looks, wide opticed.

"Seriously?" Russell ordered, looking at them. He smiled brightly, turning to Fixit. "Fixit, fire up my last download!"

"Aye aye, Star Commander," Fixit saluted, and I rolled my optics with a smile.

"You are a commander?" Jetstorm asked Russell with an amazed look.

" _Commander,_ " Fixit's speakers cried out. " _I've picked up an incoming battle fleet,_ "

"We are under attack!"

"Summon the master!"

"Guys," I chuckled softly, looking down to Russell. "It's okay. It's just a stimulator," I transformed as Fixit brought up the screen, the minicons relaxing. I directed my holoform to walk out of my cab, my black hair falling loosely to my waist. I moved up next to Russell who was cheering on the planes. The minicons looked lost, I turned and laughed softly. They stared at me with wide optics, confusion written all over their faceplates. "Yes?"

"I… do not understand," one sighed.

"Where… is Lady Prime?"

"Please," I soothed. "I'm just Cara. This is my true form, I was a human before I was a bot," they still looked lost. I chuckled. "Never mind that. You want to have fun while training?"

They nodded, and I gestured them to follow me onto the open ground. "Will you be teaching us?"

I paused, nodding. "As you will be teaching me. A student's greatest teacher is their own student,"

They thought that over, as I changed my holoform to wear my leathers that I used to, with four paint guns lined up below. "Hey, Rusty!" I called out with a smile. "You want to join?"

"Sure!"

"Alright," I cheered, passing out the guns. "This is a paintgun. It shoots out balls of paint. It'll hurt for a moment, but it'll go away eventually,"

"What is the point of this?" Jetstorm asked curiously.

"To have fun," I smiled up at him. "Now, we shoot until we're out of bullets. Count your kills, we'll compare at the end," I grinned. "Ten seconds until we start," I grinned, dodging behind a couple artifacts. Russell dived behind me, and I smiled at him.

"And… GO!"

I dived out from behind my cover, rolling as I went. I stopped, kneeling, pulling my gun up, resting it on my knee and aiming at the minicons who were still watching me curiously. I fired twice, hitting my targets in the middle of their chest, tucking my head and diving into the aisles of cars. I kept rolling, taking cover under a recent one.

"Ancora Prime," I heard one of the minicons call curiously. "I do not understand,"

"Just shoot!" I heard Russell cry, before his feet ran past my car. I grinned, rolling out from under and firing a shot to his lower calf. I then tumbled to my feet, turning and firing upon the two minicons again.

"Five," I cheered. "I'm winning!"

"Not for long, Ancora Prime!"

I felt a sharp pain in my leg, and I turned to see the two minicons running behind other cars. "Call me Cara, for fuck's sake," I grumbled, looking around. I pulled out to the front, precariously walking down the aisle.

"Cara," I heard Bumblebee question. I turned to him, running to his pede.

"Up," I demanded.

He reached down, allowing me to climb into his servo. He lifted me to his chest, where I could see more. I spotted the three, squaring in their own match. I fired three shots, hitting each in the shoulder.

"What is the meaning of this?" Drift demanded, facing me.

"Well," I smiled, pretending to blow smoke off my barrel. "Your minicons, Russell and I are… training," I smiled, ducking behind Bee's helm. "Now, move before they see that I'm up here,"

Bumblebee chuckled. "You making the kids pay?"

"Of course, sir," I saluted, before jumping to the ground. Bee reached out, catching me before I hit the ground. "Thanks for the lift!"

* * *

"Lieutenant Bumblebee!" Fixit called, my holoform turning away from the meeting near my hood. The other bots gathered around the communications hub as Russell and the minicons worked on cleaning the paint off of their armour. "There's a Cybertronian lifeline - lifestyle - lifesign near the northwest corner of the scrapyard,"

"Alright, kids," I cheered, deactivating my holoform and transforming. "Party's over. Work time,"

"It begins," Drift rumbled. "And we are not ready,"

"We're never ready," I scoffed, pushing past Drift. I lead the others to the corner in which they spoke. I scanned the pile of empty pods, finding no signs of life. "I got nothing," I reported as Bee pushed next to me.

"We're not seeing anything out here," he called to Fixit.

" _I'm still reading something at your position,_ " came the reply. " _And now there's another one on the southeast side,_ "

"Party time," Grimlock cheered, transforming into his dino frame, him and Strongarm running to investigate.

"Something's not right…" I mumbled, scanning the area surrounding us again. The lights flickered, before disappearing altogether.

"Fixit," Bee commed. "We just lost power to this quadrant. Cables may have been cut. Are you alright?"

" _Command center is completely operational, sir,_ "

" _I have a backup generator, Bee. I'll go fire it up,"_

"Hang on," I called, shooting Bee a soft look. "Sideswipe is going to be your escort, I don't want anyone going anywhere alone," Sideswipe wheeled away, and I looked up. "I'm going up," I stated, climbing the crane in front of me. I perched precariously at the top, scanning the floor below.

"Seems like we have everything under control," Bee cheered. "Not bad for delinquents, oafs, inexperienced law officers and a Prime, huh?"

"Don't jinx us, brother," I muttered, running yet another scan.

"Drift flash out!" I demanded suddenly, a slight signal showing on my previous scan.

Drift drew his sword, slashing out to attack in front of him. He connected with something, the tip of his blade sparking.

" _The corner in the northwest corner just vanished,_ " Fixit reported.

Bee turned to Drift in shock, who was analyzing the little bug. I turned to run more scans, searching for any threat that may hurt my friends. "It's a remote controlled micro camera, wired to emit a false life signal,"

I shorted for a moment, retrieving his words. I fell from my perch, landing on a knee before straightening. Ignoring Bee's calls, I moved towards the command center.

"Where's Denny and Sides?" I cried desperately.

There was a familiar green glow coming from the far side of the yard. I activated my thrusters, soaring towards it. As I got there, I saw Sideswipe fall to the ground, a purple decepticon grinning from the ground bridge.

"Stop!" I demanded, landing in front of the con. I transformed my servo into a blade, growling and about to charge the con when-

"If I were you, I would be the one stopping,"

I twisted to see two purple minicons holding Denny by the collar. I froze, feeling the con push up behind me. Denny struggled in their grasps, Sideswipe motionless below me. I heard the con behind me laugh, turning to face him. He had Sides in his clutches, his frame limp. I looked between the two of them, my spark aching.

"What do you want?" I demanded slightly.

"Come with me," he chided softly, smiling.

"The man stays here," I demanded, deactivating my blades.

He laughed, cupping my wrists behind me. "Very well. Leave the pet, grab the bot. Let's go," he lead me through the ground bridge, the feeling of stasis cuffs encasing around my wrists. There was a firm humming through my frame, my servos going numb as the con pushed me forward, the bridge closing behind me.

He shoved me down, my frame falling hard on my aft. I groaned, shifting in the cuffs. Looking around, I sa Sideswipe, Grimlock, and Strongarm stationed near me.

"What is this?" I growled at him dangerously.

"I want that bounty," Fracture sneered, leaning over me. "And I'm going to get it, whatever it takes,"

There was a sharp pain in my back, my frame stiffening, before everything went dark.

* * *

I groaned, my helm pounding. I moved to stand, though found a force pressing against my wrists. I onlined my optics as my memories returned to me, fighting the stasis cuffs that held my servos locked behind my back. There was a faint humming behind me, myself twisting to find it.

"A ground bridge," I hummed, ignoring the hum through my systems to stand on my pedes. My reactions were slow, my pedes heavy as I struggled to walk. I growled, shoving forward.

As I eased through, a battle was stowing between Drift and the decepticreep that caught me before. Fracture's back was to me, Drift engulfed in the battle, neither of them noticing me. I struggled in my cuffs for a moment, the energy they were emitting ceasing all motor controls. I growled, lunging my whole body forward. I crashed into Fracture, sending him to the ground, my frame landing heavily on top of him. I grunted with the impact, tumbling off of him in the most unorganized matter, the cuffs fighting against my demands.

I groaned, forcing my body to roll against the cuffs demands. It didn't make any sense to me, I was there the day the cuffs were presented to the council, and denied. They completely shut down the motor functions of the wearer, impossible to speak, let alone move, when you wear them. _It must be the human in me…_

Fracture grinned manically, sheathing his blade as Drift turned in front of me. There was a red patch on his back. I kicked out, knocking the attachment to the ground, before it blinked and exploded, leaving a small crater in the ground. Drift looked back to me as I struggled to regain my balance, having fallen to one knee after the kick. Fracture glared holes in my frame, before charging Drift once more.

I stood defensively next to Drift - well.. As defensively as I could with me servos bound behind me. Fracture smirked, about to charge when -

"Not so fast, Fracture!" Russell called from the communications hub. The screen from his game onlined, positioned much larger than the usual game. "I have called in a battle fleet from Aprops IV. One of earth's most powerful allies. Also, the scariest. And some of Bumblebee's best friends."

I smiled, turning back to the con. "Surrender now," I demanded him, as Drift pulled his blades free from the ground.

Grimlock pounded through the ground bridge, roaring ferociously as Sides and Strongarm rolled to a stop at his pedes. A ship appeared over head, Jetstorm and Slipstream secured safely inside it, grinning widely at their master.

"Let me go or I'll blow my ship to scrap," he threatened with a threatening grin. "And your minicons with it,"

"Let him go," Drift said, pulling back.

"Game over," Bee cried, pounding the con from behind. I grinned as the purple minicons rushed to his side, helping him stand at once.

"Well played, lieutinent," he smiled devilishly. "We will meet again," there were multiple flashes of light, and he was gone. The ship above started to crash, the minicons jumping from it as it landed in the scrapyard, destroying multiple, multiple pieces of equipment.

Denny cringed as he, Russell and Fixit climbed out of the hub. "That sounded expensive," he groaned, looking up at me.

I smiled, laughing slightly, before turning to address the others. "Is everyone okay? Roll call,"

"Everyone is fine, Cara," Bee eased.

"Great!" I cheered, before collapsing on the ground.


	13. Out of Focus

I was …. Floating.

No, correction: I was _falling_!

I landed on something soft, it reminded me of something softer than a bed that I got to lay on for a few minutes inside of a store once, in my human days. Whatever it was that I was laying on, it was pouncy. It squished between my digits when in my hand, yet it was solid enough to hold me. The walls .. or, sky, or whatever, were almost a purple, but more pink. It was open, this fluffy stuff covering the ground as far as the optic could see.

"Where am I?" I asked hesitantly, fearing that I was speaking for myself.

"You are in the realm of the Primes," a grave voice stated from behind me. I twisted to see a bot much smaller than I floating towards me. He had a black autobot symbol painted on his small chest, his optics blue and watching me. My spark warmed, letting me know I should trust him. "I brought you here to ask a favor of you,"

"Uhm,..." I hesitated as he floated to a stop. I pulled myself to my pedes, smiling down at him. "What am I doing here? Where is my Optimus?"

"Optimus. That is why I called you here, and the favor I must ask. But first, I am Micronus, keeper of the Allspark,"

It didn't really make any sense to me, but I nodded as if it did. "I am Cara,"

He chuckled. "Optimus told me of your insistent desire to be called that, Lady Ancora Prime,"

I rolled my optics. "For someone who wants my help, you sure do know how to make me angry,"

"Well, Cara," he vented a sigh, smiling up at me. Optimus has been training here, with me since he joined the allspark. The Primes have something more planned for him, he is not finished yet,"

I breathed in deeply, my spark jumping for joy. "My Optimus is here!?" I asked, looking around desperately.

Micronus smiled softly. "I can only imagine the spark break you've been feeling, Cara. The lost of a sparkmate can do devestating things, and I feel terrible for keeping you at bay for too long. However, I am glad I found an excuse to bring you here."

"And what is that?" I asked, looking around. "Is this the Well? I thought there were supposed to be gates,"

Micronus chuckled. "No, as I said earlier this is the Realm of the Primes. Optimus has reached one of his final stages of training, and we wanted to step up the game. Are you ready?"

I smiled. "Ready,"

* * *

Looking over a ledge, I saw _him_. He was kneeling, a weapon outstretched in front of him. Micronus moved forward, smiling as he went. It had taken me a while to over come the urge to run and jump in his arms as soon as I saw him. My spark pulsed angrily at the distance, but it was for Optimus. I needed to help him, I will be with him soon.

"Check out Mr. Tough Bot," Micronus teased, my Optimus hardly batting an optic. "Ready for anything. … But _are_ you ready for anything, Optimus Prime?"

"I am, Micronus," he rumbled in that deep baritone that I had missed so much, finally moving to face the hovering bot. "I have overcome all the challenges you and the other Primes have presented me with,"

"Trust me, the tests we've used to train you here in our realm are nothing compared to what you'll face once you're on earth,"

"So you keep saying," I offlined my optics, letting his voice carry through my frame. "Yet you provide few details regarding my mission… or my Cara,"

My spark singed in guilt as I felt his pull, his hurt, his pain. Micronus met my optics, and I nodded, straightening. I began a slow tread forward. "Be prepared, Optimus," the bot floating on a cloud stated as my bot dropped into a defensive stance towards me. "This may be the hardest challenge you have yet to face," He growled, face mask sheathing over top of his face. Micronus adjusted clouds to conceal my frame, as I continued my slow tread forward.

I was fighting every system in my body to _not_ run forward into the bot's arms. Fluid started leaking from my optics, a human reaction that I didn't care enough to try and stop. Optimus' optics searched the puff moving towards him, scanning for any signs of a threat or of danger.

Micronus held out a hand for me to stop, which I obeyed, stopping feet from my Optimus. He was still staring at me, taking me in before turning to the floating bot.

"What is this, Micronus?" he rumbled deeply.

The little bot smiled. "You have done adequately, young warrior. We required a bigger threat for your next stages of training, so we brought forth this femme," He gestured towards me, the clouds covering me slowly, ever so slowly, pulling away. "We've heard her cries of pain, felt her spark's ache, and also, yours." Optimus turned back to me, the clouds moving faster. Once I was free, standing before my Optimus as a whole, I let a smile form across my faceplates.

"My love…" I greeted.

He stood frozen, his optics wide and watching my closely. His servos hung loosely beside his hips, his mouth slightly agape.

I laughed, moving forward and cupping my hand on his cheek. "Is _this_ how you're going to say hello to your spark?" I teased, leaning up to press a gentle kiss on the other side of his faceplates.

With the kiss, he broke. He pulled me to the ground, us both landing on our knees as he wrapped his arms around me. He buried his face into the spot between my neck and my shoulder plates, pressing firm kisses there and around. I giggled, wrapping my own arms around me as he pulled tightly, pressing my aching spark against the one it has most craved for. "Cara…" he muttered lowly, his voice panged with relief. "My Cara. Oh, my Cara," I ran gentle digits across his back struts soothing him as he held me tight. He didn't say anything else, just the occasional "My Cara," as he pressed my spark close. I could feel his pull on my own, and it reached for him. The heavy pain, heavy weight was instantly released, lost to the stars, our sparks content once again.

I moved to pull away, and Optimus grunted, tightening his grip around me.

"Come on, baby," I eased, moving my servos to latch onto his arms, pulling back slightly. "I'm not going anywhere, I'll stay right by your side. I promise, forever. Come on love…"

He eventually complied, allowing me to pull away only slightly, enough to look into his optics and smile gently. He did the same, dipping his helm to encase my lips in a firm, but passionate kiss.

"I love you, Ancora Prime," he rumbled to me around my mouth, not pulling back from the kiss.

I giggle like a child. "I love you, Optimus Prime,"

The ground shook beneath us as soon as those words left my mouth. Optimus was immediately on his pedes, the blade in his servos and myself pushed behind him. He growled at the new threat, Micronus moving to his side as a dome pulled up. I eased up as I saw Micronus smile at me, Optimus still defensive.

"Your first task," he stated calmly, earning Optimus' attention. "Is to climb this hill,"

"Surely, it cannot be this simple," Optimus stated, still defensive of me, despite the soft circles I was rubbing into his back.

Micronus leaned back, activating a few holoforms of humans close to the bottom of the hill. Optimus growled, looking up at Micronus.

"You brought defenseless humans into the realm of the Primes?" he demanded, anger laced in his voice.

"An Intellictibot you're definitely not," Micronus stated flatly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "They have just as much defense as Cara here does,"

I searched for my t cog, looking for my weapons system so I could help my Optimus, but when I made the call, nothing happened. "Optimus," I muttered, the bot immediately turning to me. "I do not have any weapons,"

"They're not defenseless, Optimus," Micronus smiled. "They have you,"

Optimus' optics narrowed, turning towards the humans where a dark figure was approaching out of the fog. He reached back, latching onto my wrist and pulling me behind him as he quickly moved in front of the humans.

" _Cara_ ," Micronus called through my comm system. I looked over to him, and he was still sitting in the air where we had left him. " _Do not help Optimus. This is his mission. Surely you saw that they were holoforms?_ " I nodded, turning back to my bot. " _You will not be harmed, though please, play along. I took a great risk in bringing you here instead of using your holoform to begin with,_ "

"Bringing innocents into this realm is insane, Micronus," Optimus rumbled as he brought the blade in his servos forward, watching as the threat slowed to a stop.

"You think you'll never find yourself in an insane situation?" the bot almost laughed. "Better check your expectation meters."

"Optimus!" I called out worriedly, the bot bringing his attention back to the con. He had flipped in the air, sending four minicons forward. Two bounced off of Optimus' chest, his pained grunts echoing in my audios. My spark screamed in protest as he pulled me to the ground as he dodged a third, a fourth connecting with him, sending him to the ground. The humans ran away, the four minicons transforming and entrapping them. Optimus pulled himself from the ground, running to deflect a blaster shot, glaring at the minicons/ They only paused but a moment before they open fired, my bot twisting and deflecting the shots.

An arm laced across my back and underneath my arms, pinning my arms back and pulling me into the frame. I started panicking, but Micronus shot me a reassuring smile. I relaxed, allowing the con behind me to pull a blade, and press it firmly on my neck.

"O..Optimus!"

His helm flashed towards me, his optics widening. A minicon took advantage of his hesitation, firing a shot and successfully knocking the blade away from Optimus. The humans had ran again, further from me, Optimus diving in front of them to deflect more blaster fire. His optics turned towards me, optics taking in my situation. I stood stock still, the blade pressing firmly into my neck struts.

"Release her!" he demanded, charging me.

The humans behind Optimus started yelling in their own chase, the minicons traveling behind them with sadistic smiles. Optimus froze, torn between the two of us. I was about to plead for him to return his attention on the humans, when the con behind me kicked out, my knees giving out and my entire weight held solely on my shoulder plates. I met his optics, putting as much emotion into them as I could.

Optimus furiously growled, turning back to the humans and transforming. I drove straight through the four of them, transforming and grabbing his blade from the ground. He then transformed again, disappearing into the fog. The con behind me chuckled as I hung limp, his minicons shuddering to a slow awake.

There was a snarl, and the blade pressed to my neck was gone. I stumbled to my knees, my arms flashing forward to keep myself from falling onto my faceplates as my arms were released. I twisted, Optimus delivering a roundhouse kick to the con, sending him to a halt by his minicons.

My bot lifted me in his arms, running back to the humans. He set me down on my pedes, holding the blade in front of him, standing guard in front of us. The cons began to wake, glaring at Optimus as they did.

"Micronus," he called. "I cannot pass this test by employing this weapon merely as a sword. Tell me what else it can do!"

"Learning to handle a new weapon, protecting human lives, protecting your sparkmate, and facing off with a powerful threat; sure is a lot to deal with, isn't it Optimus?"

I could feel my bot surge with rage against the smaller Prime, before it was cut off when a minicon strapped itself around Optimus' forearm. Another jumped onto his other arm, applying pressure enough to keep them both back. The decepticon that held me moved forward, hesitating just long enough before delivering a solid punch to my bot's helm. I almost punched back, before I remembered Micronus' words. My spark flared as the con punched Optimus more, my bot refusing to falter in his steps as he took punch after punch. The humans cowered behind me, the other two minicons approaching. I ushered the humans back, holding them there as one minicon jumped onto my leg.

"No!" I heard Optimus desperately cry out.

The other minicon dived around me, going for the humans, but before I could lash out to stop him, the one on my leg fired. It connected with my chest, and Micronus was right: it didn't hurt. But that didn't stop Optimus from growing very angry.

His blade flew past me, just as a blast from the minicon fired upon the humans. The blade took down the minicon, though his blast destroyed one of the feeling humans. Optimus ripped the minicon from my leg, slamming him to the ground. He turned, helping me up, before staring at the one less group of humans.

Optimus pulled me by the waist, dropping me in front of the humans, standing protectively in front of us, his blade in hand. The decepticon and the two remaining minicons started their advance towards us, the two minicons resuming their blaster fire. Optimus worked tirelessly to deflect the blasts coming at us.

"Curse you, Micronus!" he bellowed angrily. "You must help me! How do I unlock the sword's full potential?" the bot in question was just hovering, watching as my bot frantically struggled. I bit my lip, optics bouncing between the two of them. "No test is worth the loss of human life, Micronus! Humans are our friends, not our playthings,"

The decepticon appeared behind my Optimus, myself helplessly watching. He grabbed ahold of my bot's arm, stopping the movement of the sword. He turned, looking at the humans. "Go!" he demanded, the four of them taking off. I followed them, but turning to watch my bot watch as three other of the holoforms were destroyed, the only human one remaining being that of a young boy. Optimus twisted out of the con's grasp, sending it to the ground. He then jumped into the air, about to lay a fatal blow on the two miniocns, when they turned, firing a combined shot on my bot. He fell to the ground, my steps slowing.

"Optimus!" I cried out worriedly, before I felt servos on my upper arm. I twisted, seeing another decepticon holding me, a blade appearing on my neck struts yet again. The human below stopped underneath me, watching as the two minicons advance towards him.

Optimus tiredly pushed himself up, optics wide as he met mine. "Micronus!" he hollered to the still hovering bot, his voice etched with pain and desperation. "I will not reach them in time. _Please_ , help me!"

"Optimus…" I soothed, his optics turning to mine as the con tightened his grip on me. "What was your task?"

He paused, optics roaming over my frame as he thought it over. It only took but a moment, but he turned and ran up the hill. The minicons below started charging their blasters, the boy hugging my pede tightly. The con raked the blade across my metals, scratching the paint there slightly.

The three cons suddenly erupted in blue electricity. I dropped, covering the human as they fell to the ground, lifeless. I looked up, Optimus standing triumphantly at the top, his blade glowing a neon blue. His face mask released, his lips turning up in a small smile as me and the boy beamed up at him. Even Micronus was smiling, before he waved his servo, the boy deactivating as I rose.

"The humans!" Optimus asked, looking desperately at me. "None of them were real…" I started a trek up to him, Micronus already there. "But why?"

"You needed to believe they were real, so that the test could deliver the proper lesson," I reached the top, gently lifting my bot's arm and cuddling into it. "Focus will mean everything amidst the storm to come, Optimus. You're going to be faced with all manner of distractions, from trivial, to personal, to life-threatening."

Optimus planted the tip of the blade to the ground, his arm tightening around me as he closed his optics. "The center of the storm is always still, and it's easiest to find a solution from there,"

"Shall we get back to your training?" the floating bot asked.

Optimus shifted uneasily, turning us to face him. He looked at me, pain laced in his optics. "Is she… not real as well?"

"No, Optimus," I eased, bringing a servo to lay on his cheek. "I am here,"

"I brought her here to help me help you," Micronus answered with a smile. "The Primes could feel the weight of the separation in both of your sparks, and we unanimously decided that it was the better choice, bringing two Primes together yet again."

"But…" I trailed off, bowing my head. "I am .. a false Prime. I .. married into the title, if you will,"

"Ancora," Micronus demanded, Optimus tightening around me. "No one simply 'marries' into the title. Being a Prime is destiny. Optimus wouldn't have loved you if you were not worthy of the title. We have watched you, from the day you were born on this earth. You've faced the darkness of evil and still worry more about the person next to you than yourself. You have fought next to Optimus, _for_ Optimus. You are worthy of the title,"

Optimus wrapped his servo around my chin, lifting my head to look at him. "Carabelle," he rumbled. "You are my spark."

I smiled, ducking low to wrap my arms around his waist. He chuckled, returning the gesture and tugging me close to him. "I love you," I muttered into his metals.

"We'll break for a few hours," Micronus winked, before floating away.

* * *

 **So I'm trying not to use author's notes in this story, but I feel this is needed.**

 **Yes, I am going to continue this story. I won't give up on you guys, I promise. I just really, _really_ had some writer's block in the last chapter and tried to get to the part with Optimus as quickly as possible. If it helps any: I didn't even watch any of the in between episodes when I first watched the series because they didn't have OP in them. I won't give up, I promise. I'll slow down, but I won't give up. **

**Secondly, I know that OP doesn't come back until later in the film, so I'm going to fill the next few chapters with complete fluff. That means, they probably won't be as long, and it'll probably take longer to upload them, but it should be alright. Then I'll get to the badassery and we'll all be good. :)**

 **Thank you for your continued support, and I _promise_ we'll be getting more of the old Cara / Optimus relationship. She was heartbroken, everyone changes after a heartbreak. **

**I love you all! BTW, make sure you're looking out for my new story, whenever I decide to upload it. It's a Bayverse, Ironhide x Oc. c:**

 **-Lizzzard**


	14. Even Robots Have Nightmares

My back connected roughly with the cloudy substance below with a muffled thud. I recognized the pain, but my sensors were suddenly overloaded with a different sensation.

I groaned as the body before me pressed into my much smaller frame, pinning me below him. His lipplates were curved up in a smile, his optics dark as they roamed over me, taking in my every form. His servos trailed over the curves, digits tracing the crevices between my armour, lightly brushing against the metals of my protoform.

"Carabelle," his baritone rumbled, sending direct pleasures through my system.

"My Optimus," I breathed, smiling up at him. His smile, if possible, brightened before he leaned down, pressing feather-light kisses around my neck struts, my frame heating up as he did. "What are you-" my own voice cut me off as Optimus trailed his digits across my chestplates, over the position of my spark.

"I've never been able to fully show you what all we can do in this form," he mumbled lowly, bringing his face to hover over mine. My optics closed on their own accord as he dipped the tips of his digits _just_ past my protective armor. "Would you like to learn?"

 _That_ sounded extremely promising.

"Optimus," I moaned again.

He smirked, diving down to catch my lip plates in a kiss.

+$+%(#(

"You should be proud, Optimus," I smiled up at him, my helm tucked tucked tightly underneath his chin. "Bumblebee is proving time and time again that he is worthy of leadership,"

"I am aware," he rumbled, his chest plates vibrating as he spoke. "I have been watching, as I promised,"

I smiled, leaning into him more. We stayed that way, cuddled against each other and watching the clouds move throughout the vastness of space.

I twisted my helm to look up at my bot, taking him in as he watched. "Optimus?.." I hesitantly asked, suddenly afraid once his optics met mine.

"Yes, Cara?" He rumbled, leaning down to press a single kiss against my forehelm.

I looked down, away from his optics. "Do… Do you think…"

"Cara," he rumbled, grabbing my chin and tilting it up. "Cara, what is troubling you?"

I vented a sigh, leaning into his touch. "Do you think, I have stolen the title of Prime?.."

I looked away from his optics, afraid of what his reaction would be. Sure, I was, essentially given the title from him. Because of him, however, … it didn't mean I was worthy of it.

But Optimus chuckled.

I onlined my optics, looking up at him with a raised optic ridge.

"Carabelle," he rumbled, moving his servo to cup my cheek instead. "Oh, my Cara. The title of a Prime is not so easily given."

I thought over that for a moment, before turning my attention back to him. "What do you mean?"

"Being a Prime is not something you can get from me. The title is bestowed upon those who are worthy to hold it. You would not be Ancora Prime if Primus did not deem you fit to be one,"

A weight was lifted from my chest, but a whole new one bestowed upon my shoulders. "So.. I am a Prime? It is my duty, to stand against the greatest threat presented to Cybertron?"

"Not to her alone," he rumbled, sensing my doubt. "You were brought back to earth with a team."

"That's Bumblebee's team," I protested.

"Bumblebee is a great leader," he rumbled. "You do not have to be _the_ leader, just _a_ leader,"

I vented a sigh again, thinking back to the team. "I just hope I can be half the Prime you are,"

He chuckled, pulling my helm snug against his chest. I burrowed in, allowing him to cradle me against his frame, the safest place I could be. "You already are, my spark," he rumbled. I was so content, I could remain in the position forever.

Until we were interrupted.

"Primes," Micronus called, floating up. We both rose to our pedes, Optimus keeping a firm arm around me. "There has been a problem," he paused, looking to me. "On earth,"

I looked at Optimus frantically. He grabbed my servo, leading myself - with Micronus following closely behind. I watched as the clouds folded away, revealing a slight drop in the sky. Below, I could see Bumblebee and his team. Bee was trapped in some kind of mold, shaking violently and thrashing uselessly, mumbling about something.

I quirked an optic ridge at my bot.

"This is how I watch your team," he eased me, gently tucking me closer to him.

"What's happening to them?" I whispered, observing similar situations from the other members of the team.

"It must be a nightmare," he rumbled. "They need help." Optimus and I shared a look, before he moved towards Micronus. "Send me," he almost begged. "I am ready,"

"You are not, Optimus," Micronus rumbled, my spark weighing down as I realized what he met. "You still have much training to do before you can be released."

"What more is there to learn, Micronus?" He argued. "I have done everything-"

I shoved the twisting pain in my spark down, turning towards my bot. "Optimus," I eased, laying a gentle servo on his hand. "It is alright,"

He twisted around, gathering me in his arms. "I don't want to lose you again," he begged, tugging me tight in his arms.

My spark pulsed in his embrace, it breaking all over again. "Complete his training," I almost begged him. "Complete, then return to me. I know you will,"

Optimus' voice broke, his chest heaving as he clutched me tighter to him. My spark ached, but I knew what I must do. Bee and his team were in trouble, I must help. As much as it killed me, I had to.

"I will return for you," he rumbled in my audios, finally releasing his hold and allowing me to pull away.

"I'll hold you to that," I cupped his cheek, smiling at him. We stayed that way as lights surrounded me, growing brighter and brighter until I had to offline my optics. The world suddenly seemed to disappear, my frame drifting through the vast unknown. Until my pedes met solid ground.

I opened my optics once more, finding myself standing in the dark. Before me was a cave, and a young boy standing before It.

"Okay. everybody," he said, shining a flashlight towards the cave. "Its Russell to the rescue. All by myself,"

I smiled, walking towards Him. "Think again, kid," I grinned, moving forwards.

He froze, before quickly turning to face me. "Cara!" he cheered, smiling brightly, running towards me the next second. I knelt down to his level as he grabbed a hold of my leg, breathing a sigh of relief. "You're okay!"

"Of course I am," I laughed, wrapping a gentle servo around him, responding to my hug.

"What happened? Where'd you go? Bee thought you were dead!"

I laughed. "Later," I said, standing back up to my full height. "I understand we have a decepticon problem,"

He nodded, moving back towards the cave. "Yeah. It's a bat thing,"

"Let's go," I cheered, allowing him to walk in front of me.

I switched on my headlights, illuminating the dark caverns of the cave. Russell was calling for his dad, myself scanning the faint frequencies, searching for anything autobot.

The kid suddenly stopped, staring at the wall.

"What is it?" I asked, following his gaze.

He backed away quickly, tripping on a rock and falling on his ass. I would've laughed, if it wasn't for the pure terror I saw in his eyes as he hit the ground, scuffling towards me. I scanned the surrounding area, only finding the readings of a rodent scurrying away.

"It's alright," I eased, offering him a servo. He raised an eyebrow at me, which I laughed off. "My Optimus used to do this for me everywhere we went together. It saves so much time,"

He hesitantly climbed onto my outstretched servo, clutching to my digits tightly. I brought him to my shoulder, which he scrambled onto quickly. I made sure he was stabilized, secured by my pistons, before I moved my servo away and started walking again.

"Cool," he muttered under his breath, myself refusing to hide the smile I had plastered onto my faceplates. "Cara wait!" he stopped me after a few minutes, pointing to something low on the ground. I crouched by it, allowing Russell to climb off my shoulder plates. There was a D painted in a circle, glowing a neon green plastered onto the rock. "Dad," he breathed, looking back up at me.

I scanned the frequencies once again, gaining nothing but static. However, my audio receptors picked up on something very, very fine.

"Optimus… no!"

"Bee!" I cheered quietly, moving in the direction of the sound. I began listening to the silent hum of sparks, sensing fear and despaeration.

* * *

" _OPTIMUS!"_

 _Soft hands were grabbing at me, a force around my waist and across my chest holding me firm. There was a voice, a mans voice, but it wasnt deep enough. It wasn't the voice I was looking for; it wasn't -_

" _Carabelle!"_

 _There it was._

" _Optimus!" I sighed in relief, my eyes finally focusing a bit._

" _Cara, I'm right here," the baritone mumbled. The force on my waist and chest softened a bit, but it wasn't anyless of a hug. "Cara I'm right here sweetspark."_

" _Cara," a new voice said. It belonged to whomever hands were on me. "Cara, its Jack," I turned my eyes to his, they were focusing just a bit more. "Are you alright?"_

" _Yes…" I confirmed, focusing on his eyes. "Just…. A bad dream…"_

" _Do…. You want to talk about it?..."_

" _Not with you…"_

 _Jack nodded, turning to look at the radio. "Does this happen a lot?"_

" _It isn't the first time she's woke panicking and screaming for me."_

" _Whenever she does, ask her to talk about it. The dream will feel less real if she's talked about it."_

 _Optimus was silent. I looked out his windshield seeing that we were back in the base. I didn't remember returning, I only remembered when my stomach attacked itself and the kids and bots freaking out about it._

" _Food?"_

" _Its right here," Jack held up a bag from Burger Bot, which I reached for immediately, the smell reminding me of just how hungry I was._

" _Thank you," I scarfed down a burger as Jack retreated through Optimus' door. "Thank you," I told Optimus._

" _You're welcome."_

* * *

I crouched behind a rock, observing the scene. The bots and Denny were trapped in some kind of concrete-based mold. The bots seemed to be sleeping, and from the looks of it rather unpleasantly. Bee was the one I had heard from, and I could only imagine what he was dreaming.

Russell made to move for his dad, but I quickly stopped him. The swooshing of wings sounded, a new threat flying in and landing in front of Strongarm. I tried to condense myself, leaning away from the threat enough to see, but not be seen.

 _Bee would be proud_.

"Why are you doing this to us?" Denny demanded of the con, as he started doing something with Strongarm's energon.

"I realize it's an inconvenience," he said in a low tone, sneering at the human. "But one does what one must to collect the energon one needs to survive,"

"I don't have any energon!" Denny protested. "I'm a human!"

The con ceased activity with the cadet, turning his full attention to the human. My protective circuitry spiked, but I pushed it down. Learn now, act second.

"Well, that's unfortunate," the con vented a sigh, before turning his attention back to the cadet.

Denny groaned in frustration, turning away from him. Towards us.

He met eye contact with me, and I gave him a simple nod. Russell chose that moment to run from me and dive behind a rock closer to his father.

"There's a rescue party already searching for us," Denny announced threateningly.

"I sincerely doubt that," he chided, stepping in front of the human and towering over him. "Although, if company is coming, I had better prepare," and with that, the little shit was flying away, down a different cavern and disappearing altogether.

Russell moved forward, feeling around the mass trapping his dad.

"I can't believe you found us!" Denny cheered, looking up at me as I eased my way out of the rocks. "Cara! You're okay!" he chuckled as I shoved a few rocks in Russell's direction, the boy gathering what I wanted him to do. "You guys are ama-"

"Later," Russell cut him off. "Let's get you all out of here first," He started digging the tip of the rock carefully through the cast, which started melting away at it's administrations.

The con suddenly let out an audio-splitting shriek. My circuits buzzed, my optics blurring.

"Cara!" Russell called down to me. "Offline your receptors! That's how he trapped the bot's to begin with!"

I gladly did as the kid said, rejoicing at the silence that greeted me. I transformed my servo in a my Optimus' blade, carefully cutting the cast away from Bumblebee. With my new deafness, my other senses heightened, my processors scanning the area automatically every couple seconds.

I quickly picked up the returning energon signal. Denny was still trapped in the cast. I gave a quick warning, before I myself ducked behind Bee's towering form, concealing myself.

I onlined my audio's, listening for the con's arrival. I looked down, expecting the humans, at least Russell, to be underneath me.

They weren't.

"What's this?" the con sneered. I straightened, trying my best to hide behind Bee's much smaller frame. "This tiny creature is your rescue party?"

"Hundred's of saves and never been caught!" Russell cheered. Next I knew, he was zooming by, the con hot on his tail.

Denny appeared in my vision next, chopping at the casting holding Grimlock. I moved around, searching for the boy. Bee groaned beside me, his frame shaking the cast. "Where… what's going on?" he froze.

I rolled my optics, choosing that moment to pass him. I heard him call for me, but that I ignored. I tackled the con, sending him flying away from Russell. He tumbled away from me, myself quickly rising to my feet. I moved to attack him again, but froze when he started laughing.

"So, _you're_ the rescue party?" he sneered, his smile only widening when I didn't move. "The false Prime? Ha! This'll be easier than I thought!"

My audios whined in protest, my frame falling. I could feel my body falling into a forced recharge, but I fought the protocols. I needed to stay awake! My audios quickly returned to me, myself finally being able to comprehend what's going on around me, though I was unable to move, or see it.

"Hey, Shrieky!" I heard Bee call. "Why are you messing around with the locals when I have all the energon you could ever want?"

So that's what this con was after… our energon.

There was a pressure released from around me, my vision and hearing returning to me full force. I stretched my limbs, onlining my optics to see the green dinobot grinning at me.

"Thanks, Grim," I smiled at him. He helped me to my pedes, where the others were standing behind Bee.

"Come on, bat bot!" he was cheering, waving his decepticon hunter threateningly in the con's direction. "No more surprise attacks. Just you and me. Face to fang,"

The con just chuckled.

"Bots!" Russell cried below, myself halting my command. "Turn off your audio receptors!"

We quickly obeyed, the silence welcoming as the con slouched before us, his attack apparently unsuccessful. I patted Grimlock's shoulder plate, himself pulling away and pounding towards the con, tackling him to the ground and holding him there.

* * *

"A most productive evening," Fixit cheered, the lot of us watching as the con was frozen in place in one of the stasis pods.

"You were right," Denny cheered, laying a gentle hand on the kid's shoulder. "You don't get scared."

"Are you kidding?" he countered. "I was terrified! If Cara hadn't showed up, I'm not sure I would've made it!"

"Of course you would've, kid," I eased, kneeling down to his level. "There's more to you than meets the eye,"

"We all have fears," Bee eased. "And we can all help each other face them," Bee smiled.

Grimlock approached him, smiling. "Maybe _you_ have fears, but I-"

He suddenly cut off, myself distracted by the single kitten approaching the massive green bot. _Ballsy_.

I chuckled as the mech ran off, the bots and humans dispersing for the night. Bee offered me a servo, helping me to my pedes.

"Where'd you go?" he asked, wrapping me in a spark-crushing hug.

"I'm not sure Bee…" I trailed off, looking up. "But I saw Optimus,"

He resynced his processors. "Optimus? Is he alright? Does he need help!?"

I laughed. "No. But he will be returning. And, hopefully, soon." Bee sagged a little, and I quickly laughed, returning his hug. "You thought I'd leave you too, little brother? You've got another thing coming to ya,"

He chuckled, turning to look across the scrapyard with me.


	15. Some Body, Any Body !

" _I'm here Bee!_ " Sideswipe cheered across the com. I evenly picked up my pace, keeping up with the two cars in front of me. My Optimus' form suited me well, despite the dinobot I was hauling behind me. " _You might just wanna leave these recon missions to me. Wouldn't want anyone to bust a strut trying to keep up._ "

" _Some of us might drive faster if we weren't dragging three tons of dinobot behind us_?" Strongarm growled defensively.

"It's two!" Grim called out desperately. "Two and a hlaf tons, tops!" he looked down at me worriedly.

"Grimlock, it's fine," I eased gently. "If it bothered me, I'd be flying,"

" _Just stay out of human sight until we join you, Sideswipe,_ " Bee replied calmly.

" _Will do!"_ he cheered. " _But, I don't have to listen to Strongarm make sorry excuses while I'm waiting, do I?_ "

" _If this was an actual race, we'd both know who'd win._ "

" _Bumblebee, would you please remind the cadet-_ "

" _That this is a mission, not a contest? Glad to remind you both._ "

"A decepticon signal isn't a joke," I called, gently applied pressure onto my gas pedal, accelerating until I was side by side with the shining Urbana.

" _I'm not so sure if … huh?_ " Sideswipe's comm shut out, surprising us all and halting any plans I had to tease my little brother again.

" _Swideswipe? Sideswipe, come in! Sideswipe?!"_

* * *

Bee and I screeched to a halt on the tracks, Bee letting out the minicon before transforming beside me. Strongarm soon accompanied us, followed by the ground shaking steps of the dinobot.

"Is Sideswipe here?" said bot asked desperately.

"I bet this is Sideswipe's idea of a joke," Strongarm growled before either of us could answer. "I can practically hear his incredibly annoying laugh,"

"Do you _really_ want to take that chance?" I asked her.

"He's your teammate, cadet. And he could be in trouble," the minicon rolled anxiously away from us, towards a tunnel leading into the caverns. "Fixit, what did you find?"

"I'm getting odd readings," he sighed, pounding on the side of the tracker he was holding. "I can't pinpoint either Sideswipe or the decepticon."

"Okay," Bee sighed. "Grimlock and Strongarm, will search the eastern subway tunnels. Fixit, you Cara and I will take the western. Questions?"

Grimlock raised his hand nervously, optics wide. I vented deeply, suppressing my amusement as Strongarm kindly pointed the direction of east.

"If you find Sideswipe make sure he stays with you, any way you can," Bee added with a slight smile that I didn't miss.

"Stasis cuffs?" Strongarm asked with a smile.

I watched as the two took off away from us, before turning to catch up to Fixit and Bumblebee, who were already trucking their way through their own tunnel.

"So," Bee chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his helm. "Where did… you go?"

"What do you mean?" I questioned, not turning to meet his gaze. "When?"

"Come on, Cara. You know what I mean. You haven't talked about it yet, where did you go?"

I vented a sigh, not slowing down in my march. "Bee, I'm not sure now is the best time to be discussing such topics. We have a teammate missing, or don't you remember?"

He vented a sigh, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was still aching from my departure from my Optimus, even though I knew I'd be reunited with him soon.

"Creepy down here," Bee muttered, venturing off towards one of the walls. He scraped his digits across it, creating a metal screech against the cement. I cringed, shooting him a death glare.

"Strange," Fixit spoke after a few moments of silence.

"What is it?" I questioned.

"Did you lose his signal?" Bee did as well, recovering his leadership attitude.

"Quite the opposite," the minicon stated. "I'm actually getting two signals, both reading as Sideswipe,"

"How is that possible?"

"I'm not sure what's causing it, but it should simply be a mere echo."

"Which one is stronger?" I questioned, slowing slightly in my steps. Something felt off…

"Straight ahead," he pointed.

We exited the tunnel we were currently in, approaching an open space before two different tunnels. In the silence, there was an echo of pedesteps coming from the tunnel to the right of us.

"Sideswipe," Bumblebee scolded, moving forward. "When I said not to wonder around the subway alone, what did you hear?"

The red frame was silent, bending down only to destroy a sector of the track. He continued an even pace towards us.

"Uh… Bee?" I questioned, bending my knees to get into a defensive stance.

Right after I spoke, the frame pulled his arm back and hurled the broken piece of the track at the yellow bot. I moved quickly to block the pipe, knocking it to the side and busting a lightbulb in the process.

"Fixit," I called as Bee pulled out his Decepticon hunter, transforming it into a blade. "Is that Sideswipe or not?"

"Yes. … and, no?"

The frame bounced forward, sending kicks and punches in Bee's direction. I moved to attack the back as he was busy in the front, but he proceeded to kick back, knocking me into the wall.

"We need a better answer!" Bumblebee called as he was shoved into the wall beside me.

"Bumblebee!" Fixit cried, moving to his aide. Before I could mutter another word of warning, the red frame flashed out at Fixit, knocking him onto the platform by the divide of the tunnels, knocking him out.

"Fixit!" Bee growled, charging the threat with an outraged roar.

As the two battled, I watched carefully, circling the frame to keep out of it's sight. When Bee was tossed in front of Fixit, the fighting paused, and I noticed something off.

 _It wasn't Sideswipe's helm._

"Who are you?" Bee demanded, looking at his bot's body in disgust and horror. "Where's Sideswipe?"

Bumblebee was weaponless, and this thing hadn't noticed me yet. I called for my blasters, carefully and quietly transforming them.

"Right here," he almost whispered, before cackling evilly. "Well, most of him anyway,"

I fired, catching him off guard. I quickly twisted, moving to stand protectively in front of Bee, still aiming my blasters at the thing's body.

"What did you do to him?" I demanded flatly, offering a servo behind me to the downed Bumblebee.

"Your autobot's speed, his agility - they're amazing! This test run is going splendidly!" he sang.

"Where is he?" I demanded lowly.

"Tell us!" Bee shouted.

Bumblebee rushed forward, punching at the con. He easily sidestepped it, laughing at Bee as he followed his punch.

"Oh I did tell you," he cheered as Bee straightened up and punched again. "And the remainder of Sideswipe is resting comfortably," Bee threw another punch, the con easily catching and holding it. "All his attributes, they're mine now," He quickly twisted, flipping Bee over his helm, catching me off guard. He crashed into me, my blasters flattening beneath me. He cackled again, still holding onto Bee's servo. "And with the help of your friend's abilities, those fools on Cybertron will regret ever crossing me. Not that they'll recognize me in this body, of course. I'll take them completely by surprise!"

Bee glared up at the con, struggling to free his servo for a moment before the con twisted it into a lock. I moved beneath the two of them, trying to move my blasters forward.

"I'll never let you reach Cybertron," Bee growled.

"Strong words for a bot on his back," the con sneered, before twisting his servo and arm painfully.

Bee yelled out in pain, something that pained my spark when I heard it. I lifted up best I could, pulling my blaster out from under me. Before I could fire, the con slammed his pede onto my arm, locking it there.

"Don't think I forgot about you, _Prime_ ," he sneered. "You were the reason I was banned in the first place!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I hissed back. I tried to meet Bee's optics, but they were clenched shut in pain.

"Strongarm!" the bot cried out suddenly. He must've gotten a comm.. "Get-"

The con twisted his arm again, silencing Bee from any actual words. The con bent his helm down towards me, Sideswipe's frame supporting it effortlessly.

"I'm surprised," he laughed. "I thought for sure the great Optimus Prime would've selected a better mate than one whom can be defeated so effortlessly,"

"Strong words for a slimy con," I repeated his earlier words.

"Well," he sighed, twisting Bee's arm some more. "You may not be challenge enough to demonstrate what my new body is truly capable of, but your friends might be. I know they heard you cry out, and that's fine. I want them all waiting for me."

He bounced back, finally releasing Bee's arm. I turned to the con, racing to my pedes immediately. He cackled, before bouncing on the track. I moved to follow him, but a subway flew by, carrying the con away from me.

I glared after the subway, cursing every name I'd known.

"Lieutenant," I heard Fixit call behind me. I turned to see Bee helping him up, looking at him with hopeful optics. "Was it Hidesnipe? Widestripe?" Bee gently hit him on the side of his helm. "Sideswipe! Thank you,"

"It was … but it wasn't," Bee vented a sigh, turning to look at me.

"Ancora!" Fixit smiled brightly. "Are you alright?"

I vented a sigh of my own, moving towards the little minicon. "Fixit. It's just Cara. And I'm more concerned for you and Bee, are you two alright?"

"Just fine," Bee grumbled. "You have the Alchemor's manifest loaded into your portable scanner. Check it for any decepticons who have advanced scientific training."

"Strongarm, Grimlock," I called into my comm while they discussed this.

" _Cara,_ " Strongarm replied. " _Are you and the lieutenant alright? We heard-_ "

"Listen," I interrupted. "A bot is coming your way, and it's _not_ Sideswipe,"

"A decepticon named Vertebreak," Bee cut in. I turned to see him and Fixit crowded around the portable scanner. "He's connected his helm to Sideswipe's body."

" _That's nasty,_ " Grim shuddered.

"Sideswipe is apparently still alive," I put in.

"Fixit is pulling up the full story on Vertebreak now." Bee reported, moving to the side so I could see the snake like creature on the tiny screen.

"Vertebreak was part of Crystal City's Science council," Fixit reported. "He studied the surgical techniques of other worlds, discipline's such as unauthorized cyber-grafting."

Bee stood straight up in shock, and I could hear Grimlock shudder through the comm link. It clicked in my processors then, just who this con was.

"That's why he blames me," I spoke, looking at the snake yet again. "The Council came to me with their concerns, and I voiced that they should remove any that are not logical and humane in their studies,"

"When he was expelled, he swore revenge. Fortunately, he was locked up on the Alchemor before he put any of his plans in motion,"

"Now he's picking up where he left off," I muttered, looking up to Bee.

"Using Sideswipe's body,"

" _Don't worry,_ " Strongarm comforted. " _We'll make sure Vertebreak doesn't get used to his new look._ "

"You read my mind, cadet," Bee applauded.

"Are you still picking up that echo on your scanner?" I questioned the minicon.

"Yes, but the other Sideswipe hasn't moved an inch since we got here,"

"Good," Bee stated. "Lead us to him,"

* * *

The three of us walked in quiet for a while. I was focusing on repairing the minor injuries I had gained, including a burn on my chestplates from my blasters. Bee worked out a few kinks in his arm, but then he shrugged it off like it was nothing.

"The signal," Fixit finally stopped, banging his little servo against the device in his hand. "He must be in there," he pointed to a boarded up hole in the wall to the left.

"You sure?" Bee questioned, moving forward to push on it. "This looks like it hasn't been touched in -" The boards fell away, the wall backing up then lifting, exposing a dark tunnel.

I shared a nervous glance with Bee, before sneaking in with the others following. There was a blue light that flashed from the end of the hall, suggesting the room we were walking into was larger than it appeared to be. We were silent, moving slowly as if a single vibration would knock the whole place over.

When we reached the end of the tunnel, Bee stopped me. I understood immediately, allowing the other mech to push forward. He was a scout at spark, this is what he did. I let him move forward, Ficit messing with a chain hanging from the ceiling, before gaping at whatever he found.

"By the Primes…." Bee muttered.

I pushed forward, only to see something truly out of a Frankenstein movie. There were stasis containers lined up and down the halls, a giant metal slab close to a table in the middle of the room, like a platform.

"It-It's like one of Russell's horror films," Fixit muttered as Bee and I jumped to the lower level to investigate.

There was a massive set up in the middle, electricity cackling overhead. It truly was a fright, and I finally understood the depth to this con's madness.

I moved to the wall, peering into one of the stasis pods, when -

"Hey guys!"

I heard Fixit shout in surprise, before crashing to the ground. I turned towards the sound, seeing him and Bee looking around just as surprised as I was.

"I hate to interrupt your field trip, but aren't you here to, I don't know, rescue me?"

"Sideswipe?" I called out, moving towards what I thought was the direction of the voice.

"Where are you?" Bee cried out next.

"This way!"

"Like that's helpful," I scolded.

Bumblebee and Fixit were already moving to the direction they thought the voice meant.

I heard him scoff angrily. "The _other_ this way!"

I moved towards the voice, Sideswipe still directing the others with warmer or colder.

"Oh no…" I hesitated, looking at the pile I had found near the severed, headless body of a snake.

"So," he smiled up at me. "How's your day been going?"

His helm was floating in a cool container of fluid, floating peacefully, looking up at me with that same idiotic smile as always.

"Sideswipe!" Bumblebee cried as I just stared at him. "Are you alright?"

Side's face scrunched up, before rolling his optics. "Yeah, I'm going to let that one go, and skip right ahead to _fix me!_ "

"Fixit," I whispered, pulling the helm off the table and setting him gently on the ground. "Can we?"

The minicon took great care in analyzing the situation, even going as far as lifting the container and looking underneath, something it's inhabitant wasn't too happy about.

"Watch it, I'm floating here!"

"The platform your .. well, head is rests on, is refreshing your energon, but it's not designed for long-term use. We need to get your body back, and fast."

"Why would Vertebreak keep Sideswipe alive?" Bee questioned, looking to me.

"Dr. Freakshow said the was worried the cyber-grafting wouldn't take. He thought he might need to extract more of some, brain enzyme. … From the way he ran out of here, on _my_ legs, I'll probably never see the rest of me again."

"I doubt it," I comforted, grabbing the container and holding him close. "You're apart of our team, Sides. Through thick and thin, you should know that you'll always have us in your corner. Always,"

"If we get Sideswipe's body back, I may be able to reattach the two, after I spend more time with these notes," Fixit rolled up, twisting two sheets of paper in his servos. "Emphasis on maybe,"

"Right," I smiled to Bee, who was already moving. "We'll be back with a complete sideswipe, and the head of a con!"

* * *

"Strongarm and Grimlock are under attack!" Bee cried, beginning to run down the hall. He clutched Sideswipe close to his body as he jogged down the tunnel. I hesitated but a moment before I began a slow jog after him. "Strongarm, Grimlock," he commed. "Sideswipe, Cara and

I are on our way!"

"Where are they?"

"What's the point?" Sideswipe's whining overpowered my concern. "None of you can take down my body. Not even with the legless wonder in charge of it. And I'm in no shape to help,"

"I'm not buying it," I muttered, keeping easy time with Bee, shooting the head in a glass a glare.

"If your body is so great, your head has to be worth something," the yellow bot shot a smile at the other.

When we exited the tunnel, I stuck to the right of Bee. I was still unsure where we needed to be, but I was here to back Bee up.

"There!" Sideswipe exclaimed. " _There!_ Right - I can't point. On your left!"

I quickly looked around Bee. Laying on the concrete rise to the side, Strongarm lay face down, and unmoving. I ran over to her without hesitating this time, quickling scanning her.

"She's alright," I reported as Bee woke her up. "A few abrasions and a lot of dents, and a hard hit to the helm."

"Strongarm," he called, setting Sideswipe behind me.

"Lieutenant, Cara," she muttered, reaching for her helm. "Vertebreak must've knocked me out."

"It would appear so," I smiled, scanning her again.

"Hello," Sideswipe said lowly, eliciting a shocked scream from the poor femme. "Guess maybe I should've given you a heads up," he smiled cockily, raising his optic ridges at the bot.

"Hey…. Sideswipe. Looking … good," the fake smile plastered on his lipplates was priceless, and I couldn't help take a moment to admire the way Strongarm tried to appease his damaged ego.

Not _too_ damaged, it appeared.

"Where's Grimlock?" Bee shattered the good feeling. I was upset a moment, before I, too, acknowledged the missing dinosaur not in the room.

"A train hit him. I tried to help, but -"

There was a massive clash that echoed through the tunnels. I transformed into my Optimus' Peterbilt, headed in the direction of the bangs. I heard Bumblebee barking orders behind me, but I was too far gone to comprehend. The banging and roaring got louder the further away from the team I got, and I could only hope Bee wasn't too far behind me.

When I got there, Grimlock was rubbing his face, glaring at the con.

"This would be a lot easier if my teammates would just let me punch you!"

"Hey, aftwipe!" I called, catching the con offguard for a moment. I knocked him towards Grim, who swiped at him angrily. I joined in on the fight, the three of us dancing in a small circle. There would be times I found myself dangerously close to the offending end of the dinobot's attacks, something I wasn't looking forward to.

" _Cara!_ " My comm rang out. " _Behind you!_ "

I kicked the bot in the chest, sending him flipping backwards, expertly landing on his pedes. He smiled cockily at me, before ducking.

Bumblebee stood behind him, arm still outstretched in an attempted punch to the helm. The con's movement's didn't pause as he flipped up and away from a kick to his pedes from Strongarm, again landing on his pedes a safe distance away from all of us. I took a moment to locate Sideswipe, who was sitting on the tracks just a few yards away.

Strongarm and Vertebreak locked hands, at a standstill for a moment. Before any other action could be done, he kicked at her chestplates, flipping, again, away from her. He landed in front of Grim, who quickly moved to attack, but not quickly enough. He flipped from under him, kicking him right in the faceplates.

"Come on Grim!" Sideswipe chastised him. "You couldn't see that coming? He's practically waving a flag before he hits you!"

Grimlock froze, staring at the helm of his comrade resting comfortably on the tracks.

Vertebreak ran up a wall, flipping backwards. He kicked Strongarm and Bee away, before landing on his pedes with a cackle. I charged forward, distracting the con just long enough for Grimlock to take him out from the side.

I stood above the con as his systems slowly rebooted.

"Nice job," Sideswipe awarded. "It took all of you, but you subdued my nerd body-jacker," Bumblebee broke off from the group, lifting him off the tracks. I followed as Grimlock lifted the still out con. "Now let's stitch me up so I can go back to being the hero of this team! What a nightmare, it's so good to finally see some light at the end of the -" He was cut off by a train horn.

Hm, a - _Train horn!_

"Retreat!" I ordered, full out using my Optimus' voice. The others wasted no time in following my order, myself following beside Grimlock.

"We have to get off the track!" Strongarm called.

Longest. Tunnel. Ever.

"We're too big," I called back, quickly doing a scan of the tunnel itself. "There's not enough room between the train and the walls."

"We can't risk injuring the humans on the inside," Bumblebee ordered, himself carrying an annoyed Sideswipe. Grimlock had Vertebreak draped over his back. "We have to outrun it back to the intersection,"

"Outrun it?" Said Dinobot complained. "Do I look like something that _outruns_ things?"

"Do I?" Sideswipe countered angrily.

"Just _move_!" I shouted again, trying my best not to simply transform and bolt. I couldn't abandon my teammates, no matter how annoying they were.

Wait.

I transformed, Bumblebee and Sideswipe doing the same. They sped off, myself trailing behind for just a moment. "Grim!" I commed. "Hop on, I'll help!"

The dinobot transformed, climbing onto me. I boosted my thrusters, pounding forward as quickly as I could.

I wasn't going to make it.

With the extra weight of two bots on my back, I couldn't outrun the train.

"Bee!" I commed. "I'm not going to make it! Take Grim and go!"

" _You'll make it,_ " he encouraged. " _Just keep going!_ "

"I can't!" I assured him. "They're too much! Just go! Grimlock!" I shouted, cutting the comm short. "Jump over to Strongarm and Bee!"

He did so without asking questions, something I was thankful for. With the extra weight off my back, I vented easily.

Then the train hit, dragging me between it and the wall.

* * *

 _"Oh, sweet Jesus," I muttered, the pain taking over every sensor I knew._ No _. I couldn't give up yet. Optimus needed me. "Arcee," I called through the comm. "The sabre….Optimus needs it.."_

 _"Cara, Cara," Smoke called from above me, his servos cradling my faceplates. "Look at me, does it hurt?"_

 _"Well no fucking shit it fucking hurts like a bitch!" I shouted at him. I took a moment, resettling myself. "I'm fine, where's the sabre?"_

 _Smoke readjusted me a little, barely jarring my wound and sending sparks of pain through my frame. He flinched, but pulled me up in time to see Bumblebee sporting the weapon Optimus needed. Ignoring the pain in my side the best I could, I pushed myself closer towards the ledge of the metal drop off to peer across the pool of whatever. Optimus and Megatron were still throwing punches, the upper hand tossed back and forth. Bee ran for a column supporting the pool below and began a slow decent down it._

 _"_ Optimus _," Ratchet called through the comm. I looked over at him as he stood by the main control. "_ You must use the star saber to destroy the Omega Lock. It is the only way to save earth _!"_

 _"_ Optimus _," Bee buzzed. "_ I'm up here, I'm coming _!"_

 _"The star saber!" I heard Megatron growl before attacking Optimus as he watched his scout._

 _I watched helplessly as Bee jumped from the column, holding the sword above his head. I quickly calculated his trajectory and the metal below, and he was going to make it! I smiled widely, turning towards the two scuffling below, when I saw Megatron. He lifted his blaster, and fired three shots before Optimus could get up and stop him. As Optimus pushed him to the ground, I watched as the shots moved up. … to Bee._

 _Each shot hit the scout directly in the chest plates. I watched as his optics widened, and as the blasts ate away at his spark. The star saber fell from his servos, moving to clatter to the metal below as Bee slowly sunk into whatever liquid the pool was holding._

 _My spark was frozen. I was angry, I was devastated, I was broken. Pain shot from my wound, but it was nothing compared to the pain I felt in my chest. I kept scanning the light blue matter, waiting for my yellow bug to reappear. Starscream's vehicon drones surrounded me, grabbing a hold of my arms and pulling them behind me, but I barely noticed. My spark ached, it felt like I was out of energon, I was out of energy. I kept seeing my Bee sinking into the matter, his dark optics not seeing anything._ Raf _. What were we going to tell Raf._

 _My thoughts were interrupted by a ferocious growl of rage. I looked down to my Optimus just in time to see him punch a maniacal grin right off of the warlords face. Directly following that was another punch. One of the vehicons behind me pulled my arm back, straining the cables supporting my wound and I let out a cry of pain. Optimus' frame shuddered in, if it was even possible, even more rage as he released punch after punch after punch, all of his might going into each one. It was a thing a beauty, something I would admire if it wasn't for the situation. Megatron fell against a column, his mighty frame collapsing to the metals below. I scanned the matter one more time, desperately searching for any signs of Bumblebee's life. Something, anything! Optimus called for his blaster, turning it toward Megatron, who was reaching for-_

 _"Optimus!" I hollered, watching as Megatron pulled the dark star saber out of a ledge, and firing it at my bot. It connected with his frame, sending him backwards and over the edge. "No!" I pulled myself from the vehicon forces, only to be tackled back onto the ground before I could even make three steps. "Optimus, no!" I cried again, the weight of the cons on my back shoving my damaged metals into the ground below._

 _Megatron pounded in the direction that Optimus fell, peering over the ledge. He raised his saber high above his helm, sneering below. "Prepare to join your scout in the Allspark!"_

 _"_ Megatron _!"_

 _The warlord turned to face the voice that I had never heard before. It was young, masculine, and filled with rage. When I scanned the matter once more, I saw a black form with yellow stripes. "It can't be…." I whispered in shock._

 _The form lunged forward with all of his might, sending the star saber directly through the center of the Megatron's chest. "You took my voice," the mech said in a dark, dangerous tone as he held onto the sword. "You will never rob anyone of anything,_ ever _again,"_

* * *

"Sweet mother of Primus,.." I muttered, clutching at my forehelm in despair.

"Hey, sunshine," Sideswipe smirked, his face uneasily close to mine. "Didja miss me? I know I did. Good news! I've got my old body back, the con's been captured-"

"And I suddenly have a lot more free time in my schedule," Strongarm shoved Sides to the side. I'd have to thank her for that later. "Sideswipe has so generously taken my patrol duties."

I didn't miss the cross look on his faceplates, despite the pounding processor-ache.

"What happened?" I questioned, sitting up slowly.

"The train hit you, dragged you to the intersection," Bumblebee smiled, resting a servo on my shoulder plates with an easy smile. "We made it through, but by that time Vertebreak regained consciousness. With Sideswipe's help, we defeated him, and Fixit managed to reverse the effects."

"As I see," I commented, watching as Strongarm and the red bot brawled it out. … again.

"Where were you?" Bee asked me, a knowing look on his face.

"The _Nemesis_ ," I responded matter of factly. "The final battle, with the restored Omega Lock. Remember?"

"Oh yeah," he smiled, relaxing on his arms, resting his back onto my legs. "My demise, and the restoration of my glorious self.

I rolled my optics. "Yeah, best part of the fight,"

"Cara," he called, catching and holding my gaze. He let the air thicken in his seriousness before he spoke again. "Where did you go?"

I vented a sigh, stealing a quick glance at the others. "I'm not sure," I muttered. "But my Optimus was there,"


	16. One of Our Minicons Is Missing

I sat easily on the ground in the junkyard, leaning back on a few shelves, listening to Russell tell about Hank, the girl on his football team. He was saying how she backed him up when he confronted the quarterback about his throw. When he thanked her, she said 'Just pay it forward,'

"She said it means now I've gotta help somebody," he said with a broad smile. "So… anyone been pushing you around?"

"You kidding?" The massive dinobot smirked down at him. I couldn't help but snort at the notion of _any_ bot pushing Grim. "Nobody pushes me. But if they did, I like pushing back." he thrust his servos forward, freezing before grinning widely. "See? Totally pushed that air."

Before I could even laugh at the bot, the alarms around the base sounded. Grim transformed as I grabbed Russell, both of us running towards the command center, the boy clinging to my chestplates.

"We have incoming!" Fixit reported as we all met in front of it.

I twisted, feeling Russell struggle to do the same, just in time to see whatever it was incoming bounce off the mountain, right into the junkyard. I set Russell down as the others ran past me.

"Stay," I commanded softly, running to catch up with the others.

"Fixit," Bee commed as I halted beside him. "It looks like an escape pod,"

" _I'm detecting a life-from inside,_ " the minicon responded, Bee putting the comm through his speakers so we could hear.

"Could be a decepticon," Strongarm reported defensively.

"Or just some bot who got lost," Sideswipe countered.

"Somebody to punch!" Grim chanted, a huge smile plastered across his face. " _Please_ be somebody to punch,"

"Either way, high alert," Bee ordered, in full command mode.

"Denny, Russell, hang back," I called through my own comm.

The door to the escape pod opened, the five of us standing directly in its path. When we finally saw the little bot that trotted through, the four had the same response.

"You?"

"Jetstorm!" I smiled brightly, moving towards the minicon. "What brings you to our neck of the woods?"

"Fixit, false alarm," Bumblebee commed. "Turn off the Klaxon,"

"Not my lawn gnomes!"

I turned to see the two humans taking in the scene of their own, and the eldest wasn't too happy about the pod's landing site. I transformed, activating my holoform to stand beside Russell as Jetstorm walked towards us in straight serious manner. Denny was running around the ruins of another one of his prized possessions, whimpering sadly as he gathered the pieces.

"I apologize for my unannounced arrival," the minicon said, bowing at his waist before Russell.

I raised an eyebrow at Bumblebee, feeling the kid beside me stiffen a little.

"It's...cool?"

"Where's Drift?" Strongarm asked.

"I was .. forced to leave the master's tutelage,"

"He cut you loose?" Grimlock asked behind Bee, the bot and I again sharing unsure glances.

"My actions … I had to leave."

"I doubt you'd ever do something _that_ bad," Bee muttered, looking down at him sympathetically.

"Why'd you come to Earth?" I asked easily.

"I'd hoped you might accept me as your student, Commander Russell,"

The kid stared at him with an open mouth.

* * *

Russell had went with Bee for a walk, the others dispersing on their own. I chose to stay with Jetstorm, in my holoform, running a full systems check while we were waiting on the others to return.

"That's a nasty bite you got there," I noticed, reaching for a few tools out of my subspace. I set to work on the damaged nerve endings in his knee joint, scraping out any corrosion along the way. "Didn't Drift offer you repairs?"

"He did," Jetstorm was quick to reply. "Constantly. However … "

"You didn't want to deal with the yelling that came after?" I guessed, sneaking a look up at the minibot with a knowing smile.

He was silent a moment before he spoke again. "It is not that I do not appreciate the lessons Master Drift has to offer. It's the … procedures of teaching that I do not agree with."

"Communication goes a long way, Jetstorm," I eased the wires together, braiding them easily into a new and stronger current. "You need to let Drift know how you are best to learn. A good teacher adapts to his students, not the other way around,"

He was silent for a moment longer, before venting a sigh. "I wish you would teach me, Ancora Prime,"

I laughed, deactivating the holoform and transforming after another scan proved to be fine. "You wouldn't want that,"

"You taught on Cybertron,"

"But that's different."

"How?"

I vented a sigh, smiling gently at him. "I am not some brave warrior, Jetstorm," I eased. "I am _vorns_ younger than _Sideswipe_. I was a human first, then a bot." He looked down at his pedes, understanding. "Russell isn't much different. Russell is younger than _I_ was when I turned into a bot."

 _Speak of the devil_. Bumblebee and the human walked around another set of shelves, Bee smiling easily at me. The others came from helping Denny clean up the garden gnomes, the human looking much better than he was a few minutes ago. Our posse moved to the command center, the intent to inform Fixit of the situation.

"Found him, master," a little voice from below called.

Slipstorm ran up to his brother, Drift standing high in front of the command.

"Drift," Bee greeted, moving forward to offer a hand in an earth greeting. "Didn't expect you to visit again so soon."

"You swore an oath to study and serve," the bot rumbled to the minicon below, ignoring Bumblebee completely. "How could you -"

"Did you follow Jetstorm to earth just so you could yell at him some more?" Russell demanded before I could, placing his hands firmly at his hips and standing defensively next to the miniocn.

The two of them shared glares, but the tension was broke when Denny ran to his son worriedly.

"Okaaay!" he said easily. "Son, let's step back and let the super-powerful alien robots work this out between themselves,"

"Stasis pod sensors are back online," Fixit reported.

"I didn't know they were offline," I muttered, receiving a slight laugh from the younger bots behind me.

"Two units compromised," _shit._ "Quillfire and Springload. They seem to be traveling together. Their course will take them very close to a human military base."

Bumblebee shot me a broad smile.

"Oh, gods," I muttered, bracing myself for another line.

"It's time to bring the zoom and lower the boom!"

The three younger bots groaned slightly, myself cringing as I moved forward.

"Bee. Never rhyme,"

"But -"

" _Never_ rhyme!"

"My craft is not far from here," Drift stated, diverting my attention again. "We are leaving. _Now_ ,"

I watched as Slipstorm moved to stand by Drift, and Jetstorm moved to stand by Russell and Denny. Drift growled lowly at them, Bumblebee rushing to their side.

"Drift," he requested in a formal tone. "Please assist my team as we hunt down these fugitives. We are … uhm … Cara, has sustained injury, and cannot accompany us,"

I glared at Bee, but did nothing more as Drift took in my frame. "Very well. Jetstorm, come,"

"Commander Russell?" the minicon asked, turning to the boy.

"For the last time I'm not a com -" he stopped himself, sighing deeply before turning back to him. "What do you think is best?"

Jetstorm thought a moment, before straightening. "If we are to face battle, I am trained to release from Master Drift."

The two minicons walked up to said bot, transforming and attaching to his forearms. As the bots transformed, revving engines in anticipation, I caught Bumblebee's arm.

"You owe me for this," I growled at him.

"I love you too," he muttered with a smile.

* * *

" _Cara!_ "

"What's the matter?" I mumbled through the open comm, staring up at the blue cloud in no particular worry. "Need my help now?"

" _Affirmative! Rockslide, we're trapped,_ "

I shot up from my spot, transforming and taking off immediately after Bee's comm. I soared to their location, finding them indeed trapped under rocks. Denny was working to free them, and I caught a heat signature close to Sideswipe's location. I assumed it was Russell. Before I could touch down, I heard two voices call out in desperation.

"Master!"

Looking over the mountain, I saw a massive military vehicle rolling towards Drift, who was down and offline. Jetstorm and Slipstream were working together to shove him aside, not having any luck.

I pushed towards them, transforming at the last second, using my momentum and speed to carry the three out of the path of the vehicle. I did a quick scan of Drift, before transforming into my Peterbilt and chasing after the vehicle.

I shifted into the highest gear, pushing my engine to go faster, quicker. I passed it, moving further from the front. Transforming, I transformed my servos into blades, preparing for battle.

"Give me your worse," I challenged, glaring at the blaster atop the vehicle.

It fired a single shot, aimed right for my chest. I deflected it easily, before deflecting the multiple others that followed shortly after. I charged forward, deflecting as I went. I climbed over the front carefully, placing my pedes exactly where I needed them, before blasting my boosters and lifting into the air. As I passed, I sliced at the blaster on the vehicle, watching in odd satisfaction as the barrel tumbled off and onto the ground.

"Woa,"

I turned to see Sideswipe and Russell staring at me with wide eyes. I shot them a quick smile, before going to Drift.

"Where'd he get hit?" I asked, running a scan already. Bumblebee, Strongarm and Sideswipe transformed and drove after the still retreating vehicle carrying the two rouge cons.

"Chest!" Slipstorm responded, huddled close beside his brother.

I opened and scanned his chest, finding that there was quite a few lines broke. I set to work, cauterizing each line before placing it in its place in the chest. One main line had broke away from the spark chamber, though no damage had been done to either of them. I gently guided it back to its place, closing the plates.

"He'll be alright," I assured the minicons with an easy smile. "He'll wake up any minute now,"

The ground started shaking from what I assumed was explosions from the battle from the other bots, Grimlock having already started his pursuit after them. I looked at the minicons, mainly Jetstorm, to be sure they were okay.

"Are you feeling well?" Slipstorm asked, calling my attention to him. "Lieutenant Bumblebee said you were injured,"

"My wings have been bothering me," I lied, wiggling the things on my back for emphasis. "They're okay, but Bee's a worry wort and doesn't want me to go out unless I have to,"

"It's a good thing you did," Russell said with a smile, Denny joining him walking towards us. "You got here just in time! And that thing you did with that sword," he enacted my running up the vehicle, flipping and landing flat on his back in a fit of giggles. "It was _awesome!_ "

"What'd I miss?" Denny asked.

"My students failed a simple mission and have disappointed me," I turned to see Drift sitting up, shooting little glares at the bots below him. "Particularly you, Jetstorm. Not to mention how you ran off on your own to -"

"Cut it out!" Russell defended, standing beside me. "You can't lay into your minicons every time they make a little mistake! You don't lead by talking smack about your team!"

"Huh?"

"Okay," Denny intervened, moving to pull on Russell who looked like he was about to pounce on Drift. "Seriously, kiddo, you have to stop yelling at our out-of-town guests with the really, powerful weapons,"

"No, Denny," I eased, smiling down at him. "I see where your concern is, but Russell is right," I smiled at the boy, moving my attention to Drift. "You have formed a team, the three of you Drift. A symbiotic relationship. If Optimus Prime had only ever yelled at Bumblebee, young scout Bumblebee, for everything he did wrong, never once praising him, do you think the Bumblebee we know today would be here, fighting these decepticons for Earth and Cybertron and everything in between?"

"So Jetstorm didn't polish your sword right," Russell continued, finding new ground after he got my support. "He still polished it!"

"Swords?" I muttered down to the boy.

"My sword?" Drift asked in the same confused tone I felt.

"Master," Jetstorm turned to face him. "I know there is much confusion right now, but if I may suggest a plan -"

"I do not wish to hear a plan from -" I cleared my throat expectantly, an incredibly human trait that I hadn't done in a _long_ time. I still got the bot's attention, and that was enough for me. "Tell me quickly," he finished, looking at the bot below.

* * *

Drift and I drove past the vehicle still storming through the roads, the others still swarming around it like bees. We drove to each side of the Urbana, rolling easily in time with him.

"Drift, Cara, stay back! My team is -"

"I heard your plan," Drift interrupted. " _My_ team is seeking access to the tank so we may disable its operators."

"It's a _tank_?" I exclaimed, not thinking about what the hell that stupid vehicle is.

"A double-pronged attack, good!" Bee cheered, calling his bots back to him. "Autobots, keep the decepticon's focused on us!"

I transformed, wasting no time to kick into the air, transforming, and soaring above the others. I circled around, waiting just long enough for the autobots to clear before I began firing upon the front of the tank, just missing the marks I would've hit.

Sideswipe transformed after I'd passed, climbing up the tank similarly to how I had. He took the two main guns after my dismantling of the blaster, before running around back to get the two on the back side. Grimlock rammed into the side, shaking the tank tremendously, enough to knock Side's off. He transformed, wasting no time in gunning it back towards the front.

I circled around again, prepared to do the same as before. Strongarm transformed as I passed this time, pausing in the middle of the street to fire her bow at the missile launchers on the sides. Drift drove around her, pulling his blades free and charging it. He jumped down the middle, and with a single swipe cutting off the six blasters that were the only remaining choice of weaponry.

I watched as I circled, being sure the minicons he'd dropped off made it in the hatch safely before I began another attack, firing at the road in front of them this time.

When the tank finally slowed down, the others stopped a safe distance. I could hear metal banging against metal, the sound originating from the inside. Drift transformed, worry plastered on his faceplates. I myself transformed, landing on top of the tank, activating my holoform and sliding into the tank with ease. Jetstorm and Slipstream smiled broadly at me, before encouraging Quillfire to haul Springload's frame through the hole in the top.

"They're fine," I smiled, releasing the holoform and smiling down at the bots below. I grasped onto Springload's unconscious form, hauling him the rest of the way up and onto the ground. Quillfire climbed out second, eyeing me cautiously before facing down at the jump.

"Ooh!" Grimlock cheered, holding his arms out. "I got you, I got you!"

The decepticon still looked hesitant, but he jumped nonetheless.

"Nah," Grim sidestepped, allowing the con to fall flat on his face. I stifled a laugh, looking around at the others still on the rumbling tank.

The tank rumbled lowly, myself jumping from the tank, the minicons right behind me.

Or, I thought they were.

"Jetstorm!" Drift called beside me, even as I caught Slipstream as he pounced through the air.

Turning back to the tank, I could see the minicon struggling to free his leg. I assume a piece of metal rumbled free, trapping his pede. I moved to fire up my boosters, but the bot fell free, right into Drift's open arms, just as the tank exploded. I shielded the blast from Slipstorm, hoping Drift had done the same.

When the smoke died down, Slipstream wiggled out of my grasp, moving towards Jetstorm and Drift. Strongarm had a cuff around Quillfire's wrists, and Denny and Russell were running towards us.

"Many thanks, Master Drift," Slipstream bowed beside his brother.

"I apologize for the inconvenience of catching me," Jetstorm added. "I shall depart now, never to -"

"Wait," Drift silenced him as Bumblebee lended me a hand to stand. "You left because you polished my sword improperly?"

"I knew you would be angered, so to spare us both the embarrassment of my termination, I left."

"Never make assumptions, pupil," Drift scolded him. "Mistakes are part of learning. You left without word or reason. _That_ is what angered me."

"I can only offer my apologies, master," he bowed, his twin following suit.

"Your apologies are -" Russell cleared his throat this time, myself shooting Denny a calming look as Russell crossed his arms. "Sufficient," Drift finished easily. He moved to walk away, but this time I cleared my throat, gesturing towards Bumblebee when I gained the bot's attention. "Your performance in the field was exemplary. Communication is key to the master/pupil relationship. Perhaps we can all work on that one, together, should you choose to remain under my tutelage."

"I did some assuming too, Drift," Russell called out.

"We all did," I finished, smiling softly at the bot.

"We're sorry,"

"Your assumption was not unreasonable," he said, mirroring my smile. "But your expression of it was highly insubordinate."

Russell rolled his eyes, and I only smiled.

* * *

"Thank you, Drift," Bumblebee said as the bots locked the cons into the repaired stasis pods. "Thank you all. We're sorry to see you go,"

"We are not departing," he stated, matter-of-factly.

"What?" I asked, rising to my pedes quickly.

"My pupils can only be as good as their master, and I still have much to learn. We will stay here and learn from you, Bumblebee, the lessons of teamwork, and communication. And we will assist you when possible."

"Awesome!" Russell cheered, running in between the minicons.

"Uh,. terrific!" Bumblebee forced a smile. "Welcome to the team, we're -" he held out a servo again, but Drift bowed. "Oh… honored,"

The bots moved away, Drift headed to the side to do whatever, and Bumblebee stormed up to me.

"Care to explain?" he demanded.

"I didn't suggest it!" I held up my servos in surrender. "I just compared Optimus teaching you when I told him he needed to teach better. Apparently he agrees that my Optimus trains well, and that you are turning out to be much the same leader that he is!"

Bee moved to say something else, before his voice caught. He studied me carefully, taking in my frame, and I couldn't help but smile as I saw pride swell inside him.

"Do you really mean that?" he asked, his voice quiet. "Am I really.. Like him? I can't be… I -"

"Bee," I eased, wrapping my arms around his smaller frame in a hug. "I meant every word,"

He returned my hug, and we stood there for a moment before pulling away and headed towards the others. Just as we began walking, he glitched and froze.

"Did you say… 'He is?'"

I laughed as I nodded, watching as Bee glitched again.


	17. Deep Trouble

"Hey, Optimus," I said, more to myself than to anyone. I leaned against the perch looking over the river between the junkyard and the city, watching the clouds cast different shadows as they passed overhead. "How's the training going? They still kicking your ass?" I laughed, looking down at the junkyard. "Sideswipe, Strongarm, Grimlock, and the minicons were all running a training course that Denny, Russell and Bumblebee had been working on all week. Bee said I should stay and give pointers, but … I don't know Optimus, I feel like I'm intruding.

"It's like everyone says… I'm the forgotten Prime. So forgotten, even my own sparkmate wouldn't even let me join him in the Allspark. Which, I know now isn't the case. You never made it to the end. You were dragged into some crazy training session with a lot of dead Primes. But … only Bee knows about that."

I was silent, watching as the others laughed below, bounding between different courses. "I just miss you, my love," I whispered, my throat tightening as if I would cry. Engine coolant pooled in my optics, threatening to stream down my faceplates. "Please. Come home to me,"

" _Cara?_ "

"Yes Fixit?" I replied, wiping at my optics. I sat up, twisting towards the command center. The other bots would head there soon, Grimlock was the last to cross the finish line.

" _I'm picking up a decepticon signal submerged far offshore._ "

"I'll be right there," I responded, jumping off the platform and launching myself a little to land beside Bumblebee and the others.

"I have a feeling I'm about to hear the word 'Groundbridge,'" Sideswipe mumbled.

"I've been working on it since your last outing," Fixit defended himself. "The Groundbridge will function perfectly,"

"'Will?'"

Fixit shrugged. "Should,"

"It is the most direct route to the decepticon," Bee vented a sigh. He studied the groundbridge for a moment, before grinning at me.

"Oh gods…"

"Looks like we've come to a bridge. Let's cross it!" he cheered with a broad smile.

Grimlock and Sideswipe literally facepalmed, and I couldn't help but start laughing as Strongarm joined them in walking towards the bridge.

"It's an earth saying!" Bee defended.

"Maybe you should stick to your terrible rallying cries," I teased him, nudging him to the side a bit.

"Yeah, I'll do that,"

Fixit hit a few buttons on the command, the groundbridge roaring to life. The familiar blue and green colors mesmerized me for a moment.

* * *

 _Megatron charged for Optimus, taking a path that would pass me. I raised my weapon once more, taking aim and firing right as the con neared my position. He growled angrily as my shot connected with the faded insignia on his chest, his pedes stomping dangerously close to me. I barrel rolled out from under his pede, my shotgun forgotten behind, smashed as the con surged past it._

" _No!" he shouted, raising his sheathed sword high above Optimus' turned helm._

 _I cringed as the sound of metal on metal thundered through the rocks. I slowly peered through my clenched eyes, to find Optimus holding Megatron's weapon between his two servos. "Megatron…" he growled, his facemask sheathing instantly. He readjusted his grip on the blade, holding it in one servo as the other closed into a fist and pulled back. "Begone!" He rose from his knees, socking the surprised warlord continuously back, making his way towards me as he did. I heard the others weakly rise to the metal platform, watching in glee at the sheer power of their leader. He served an upcut to his chin, sending the con flying backwards and into the rock face behind him. Optimus turned to me, optics scanning me quickly. They narrowed before he gently kneeled down to me, gathering me in his servos. I winced as my left arm moved, trying to force back the tears in my eyes. The others joined us as Optimus shifted me into his left hand, his right changing into his blaster. "Ratchet," he bellowed. "How did we arrive here?"_

"Base to Arcee _," Fowler's voice echoed. "_ We're reading five autobot life signals down there. Is Prime with you _?"_

" _And Jack," she responded, the ground bridge opening next to us the next moment._

 _Megatron crawled over the metal ledge, growling angrily at my bot._

" _Autobots," Optimus ordered, his baritone rising above the blaster fire. "Fallback!"_

" _This time, he's coming with us!" Bulkhead cheered as he followed Arcee and Jack through the bridge. Ratchet raced shortly thereafter, Bumblebee following before Optimus jumped through, sending a few more shots Megatron's way. The ground bridge immediately closed behind us, Optimus walking through gently._

 _The humans and the kids intermixed with the autobots gathered around the entrance to the bridge, watching closely as my bot stalked through. I smiled reassuringly at Optimus as he looked me over curiously._

 _Raf ran forward, looking at Optimus hopefully. "Optimus?"_

" _Hello, Rafael," he smiled down at the boy whose face immediately lightened._

" _The big guy remembers us!" Miko cheered excitedly, wrapping the boys in a hug._

* * *

"Sometimes it's best to remember. But it never does well to dwell on the past," I looked a Bee with a soft smile. He wrapped an arm around me, smiling gently. "You said he's coming back, and I believe you. He'll be here soon, sis,"

"Yeah ... " I muttered. "Thanks, kid,"

"Coordinates set to your underwater destination," Fixit reported.

"Turn on your comms so we can chat below the surface," I called, already reaching to adjust mine.

Bumblebee led the way, Drift, Strongarm and Grimlock following closely behind. I wasn't too far back, but I couldn't help noticing Sideswipe hanging close to me than usual. On the other side, we walked straight into water.

I started to panic, realizing the fact that I can't breathe under water. Sides watched me carefully as I reminded myself I don't need to breathe, before focusing on the fish swimming away from us.

" _Activate external illumination_ ," Bee called through the comms.

" _So, Cara,_ " Sides called nonchalantly, the two of us following behind Bee still. I switched my headlights on, watching as the others did the same. " _How's it going?_ "

"It's alright," I offered him a smile, before going back to looking for the con.

Or, looking at the fish.

" _You sure?_ " he pushed. " _You've never really. … been with it. I've heard my stories,_ "

"And that's all they were, stories," I said, barely rising above a normal talking voice.

" _All this talk about you being the same as us,_ " he said, more to himself than to me. " _But when it comes to your mental health, what's going on in those processors, you only seem to open up to Bee_ ,"

"I've known Bee for a long while, Sides," I meant to leave it at that, but he still looked at me expectantly. I moved to vent a sigh, before realizing I'd be intaking water and that's _not_ on the activity's list. "When my Optimus sacrificed himself, Team Prime was apart of the major push to rebuild Cybertron. We were working on cleaning and repairing the planet for years before the first autobots returned to that planet. Being the last living Prime, I was put in charge, but I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I was a human, I wasn't from Cybertron. I didn't know how it's governments worked, or it's laws, or anything like that."

" _So… being on Cybertron, even when it was destroyed, was like me coming to earth?_ "

"It's like you coming to earth and trying to lead it," I corrected him. "That's why I wanted the council back. I didn't know what the hell I was doing," I stopped myself from venting another sigh. "After I was released from my duties, and the rebuilding was being taken over by various other bots, Team Prime broke apart. Bumblebee was the only one to stay with me. Ratchet did for a while, but then even he left without a word…"

Sides was silent for a while, the two of us trailing behind the others. " _I'm sorry…_ " he muttered, and I turned to meet his optics. " _Your sparkmate gave his life, so I could have a chance at mine. You've been living in suffering for all this time, simply so I could live. I thank you for that,_ "

"There's nothing to it, Sideswipe," I eased. "After seeing the streets of Cybertron alive and active again, I realize that I'd live through this hell a thousand times over if it meant that life, and that happiness,"

" _So what'd you do after Team Prime? How'd you start teaching?_ "

"Well, after we left, I was still expected to appear at the council meetings, so being close to the main city was ideal. Bumblebee started training as an enforcer, and that's how he became lieutenant. I … might've had something to do with that, as he is my first lieutenant." he scoffed a little, but was quiet, so I continued. "Bee is. … He's my brother. At night, on Cybertron, I'd see Optimus. I can't explain it, but I'd see and talk to him. I know it's because he's coming back, and that's why I see and talk to him now. But then? I don't have an explanation for then. But Bee stuck right beside me. He never left me. And when the Optimus statue was built? He defended me. He let me sleep there. Even though it wasn't the best option, he knew, mentally, that was what I needed. So he fought for me."

It was silent for a moment, before Sides responded. His voice over the comm was soft, and concerned. " _What happened to you on earth, Cara?_ "

Right as he asked the question, overhead there was a submarine driving towards us. We watched it pass, before the lot of us followed after it quickly. It transformed, the con looking to be some kind of octopus on steroids. It started lifting rocks, throwing them to the side. The more he uncovered, the more I was astonished.

" _It's a Cybertronian spaceship,_ " Bee informed us, Sideswipe abandoning the question he'd just asked to move forward next to Strongarm.

"Well, since you're in such awe," I groaned, reaching for a different sector of my comm. "Cara to Fixit, come in,"

" _Fixit here. Go ahead, Cara._ " came the reply almost instantly.

"Our decepticon looks like an octopus, -"

" _And he's digging out the wreckage of a vintage four-engine Cybertronian spacecraft._ " Bee cut in.

I rolled my optics, "Got anything on him?"

" _Sounds like Octopunch, ma'am,_ " he replied. I rolled my optics again, but continued to listen to him. " _Arrested not just for raiding shipwrecks, but for causing them so he could claim their treasure for his own,_ "

" _He's moving some pretty heavy rocks with those tentacles._ " Strongarm observed, peering over a few rocks near Bumblebee.

" _Well, that's not all they're good for,_ " Fixit replied. I pondered over how he heard her, before I remembered the open comm between us all already. _Duh._ " _His appendages are sensitive to changes in light, temperature, pressure, and energy signature. He probably discovered the vessel after sensing the energon residue in one of the ship's engines._ "

" _Meaning the craft may still be operational,_ " Drift filled in.

" _And if it is,_ " Strongarm turned to Bee. " _Octopunch probably wants to use it to leave earth,_ "

" _Not an option,_ " Bee demanded, before diving around the rock everyone had converged behind. The rest of us followed closely behind, but I doubted the intelligence in this. If he can sense energy readings, can't he sense us?

He turned to look at us, Bee stopping to look up at him. He started muttering something, but with the water I couldn't make it out.

" _Did anybody understand him?_ " Sides asked. " _It sounded like 'glub glub' to me_ ,"

" _I'll handle this lieutenant,_ " Strongarm said with a smile. She started walking towards the con, but Bee looked like he wanted to say something more. I rested a servo on his shoulderplates, offering him a small smile as the femme moved forward. She activated the lights on her forearms, sirens wailing loudly. The con only responded with throwing a rock at her, knocking her further away from us.

Sideswipe stepped forward, bringing his Decepticon Hunter out and moving to activate it. It started sparking. He groaned, staring at his useless weapon in dismay. "Guess a homemade decepticon hunter and water don't mix."

"Lucky me," Grimlock cheered as he ran forward, transforming on the way. "Punch goes with everything!" He dodged rocks left and right, yelling out when one hit him, yet kept going.

Drift followed beside him, releasing Jetstorm and Slipstream from his forearms. They soared through the water, transforming once they got close and landed beside Octopunch's tentacles. The con started attempting his own attack back, but Drift was there, deflecting them.

" _Remember, pupils,_ " he said. " _Seek out and strike the structural weaknesses._ "

The con took advantage of the hesitation, wrapping a tentacle around each of the bots. Bee, Sideswipe and Strongarm started an assault, swimming towards them. I watched as Octopunch grabbed a hold of them as well, reaching for Grimlock. I swam around, watching them carefully as the con paused to display his control, holding all of the bots in the air before throwing them back towards the ground.

He swam backwards, and I had to quickly duck behind a rock to avoid being seen. I checked on the bots one last time before following the con. He swam into a latch, shutting it behind him.

Weapons ejected from the ship's exterior, and began firing on the bots below. I lifted the latch the con swam through, entering it myself. Once i got in, I saw no signs of our assailant.

"Bee," I called. "I'm in the ship, but I can't disarm the blasters."

" _Sideswipe already led us past them,_ " came his response. " _We're entering through a hatch on the far end of the ship._ "

I nodded, transforming my servos into a blaster and a blade. I moved around, sticking to the shadows in search of the con.

When I found him, he was in the ship's main control rooms. He was beginning to work on one of the engines. I snuck towards him, shielding my energon signature the best I could. There was a rumbling beneath me, a sign that the engine had started.

His tentacles flashed, and he paused in his tinkering. I froze, backing up and flattening myself in the shadow. "Now what?" he moaned, moving to the side. He called for his security camera, and I saw the bots charging forward. _This was it._ "Again with the autobots?"

I ran forward, swiping at his back with my blade. I flipped in the air as he turned, landing on his back firmly. I stabbed at him, holding my blade in his back, a firm grip. I started firing at his tentacles, holding tight as he did everything he could to buck me off. I dodged tentacles left and right, ducking underneath them. His attacks were unplanned, and uncoordinated.

Something hit me square in the back, sending me forward. My blade pried free of its hold, sending me flying forward. I twisted in the air, landing in a defensive position and glaring at the con.

"Ancora Prime," he cheered. "I'd only heard stories of you,"

"Hope they were good ones," I muttered back with a grin.

He sent his tentacles at me, and I fought them off. One by one I knocked them far out of the way, and it wasn't a while before one got past me. It hit me in the chest, pinning me against the wall. I shot at him with my blaster, hitting the junction where the tentacle came from the metal body. I got a few good shots before another one pinned both my arms to the wall beside my helm.

"It's been awhile since someone snuck up on me," he said lowly. "But I can't have it happening again," The tentacle pushing against my chest wrapped around it, another twisting around my ankles, forcing them together roughly, then the two holding my wrists came together behind me, one retreating as the other held still. I struggled against him, just enough to find his strength, as he backed away from the wall and started moving. "I now have something against the remaining autobots," he thought out loud.

The ground rumbled and the ship groaned as another engine started up. He hit another button, summoning a door to open. There, four minicons, the exact model of Fixit, appeared.

"Here," he released my chest and ankles, pinning me on my stomach to the ground. I struggled, attempting to get my knees underneath me at least, but something wrapped around my ankles. Electricity scorched my circuits, and I did my best to keep my functions synched. "Put this one in the corner, I need her to ensure my departure from this planet,"

"Abducting the Prime?" I forced out as more electricity shot into my frame. "How's that going to set on your record?"

"It won't matter," he said. "I'm leaving."

The Fixits wrapped red electricity infused ropes around my ankles and wrists, then proceeded to push me into a far corner of the command room. I tried calling for my comm, but with my servos behind me I couldn't move.

Another rumbling. Three.

"My autobots are coming," I tried to threaten.

"I wouldn't count on it," he cheered, not moving away from the controls. "I've divided them already."

I struggled against the bonds again, my processors focusing on keeping the electricity from frying my circuits.

"Engine four ready to fire," he announced. "So long, Earth. It's been absolutely miserable."

"It's about to get worse, Octopunch," I struggled to lift my helm, seeing Bumblebee and Grimlock charging forward. "You're coming with us."

"I don't think so!" the con cheered, wrapping a tentacle around me and dragging me towards him. Grim wound up one of his stellar punches, The con adjusting me to act as a shield against them. Grim and I met optics just as he threw the punch.

It hit right in my chest plates, right over my spark. The con and I skidded backwards, Grimlock falling to the ground from where he tried to stop midway through. My pain sensors were screaming at me, but the best I could do was recalibrate. _I've had worse_ I kept trying to convince my spark.

I was tossed to the side yet again. I could vaguely hear my name, then another battle, but all I could do was focus on not shattering under the weight of that punch. I had to remember to compliment the dinobot, he threw some mean punches.

"All I wanted was a nice, quiet get away," Octopunch finally said, some of my attention going to my audios. "But no, you had to -"

I twisted when I heard the interruption. I did my best to twist to see what was happening, but my frame just didn't want to do what I was telling it to do. Between the electricity still frying my circuits, and the new massive dent in my chestplates, I couldn't.

"Hey, that's not funny!" the con complained, before a sound of metal against metal filled the void. "That really hurt you overgrown -" There was another pounding of metals. "Oh, I'm going to give you such a … " another punch, and the con quieted.

"How's the pain?" Bumblebee asked.

"Totally worth it," Grimlock smiled.

"Got another punch in you for the launch mechanism?"

"Don't need one."

There was another crash, before the beeping stopped. "Cara," Bee called.

Before I could answer, an alarm sounded. " _Alert. Self destruct protocol activated. Countdown commencing._ "

"Let's grab Octopunch, Cara and the others and let's go,"

Bee scooped me off the floor gently. Carrying me bridal style, he charged down the hall, Grimlock following behind.

"You look terrible sis,"

"Thanks," I muttered, resting my helm in his chest.

It wasn't long before we had tracked down the others. I didn't pay attention much, the electricity still attacking my circuits as I was still bound. I simply snuggled against Bumblebee's frame, allowing him to care for me.

"Glad you located us, sir," Strongarm called. "I couldn't take anymore of that earth music,"

"I couldn't take anymore meditating," Sideswipe growled.

"Sideswipe, Strongarm, help Grim," Bee ordered.

"No need," the dinobot growled. "I can - ugh! - handle it,"

"Looks like you've handled enough, big guy," Sides interjected.

"You don't always have to be the one doing out heavy lifting, Grim," Strongarm joined in. "We are a team, you know,"

"Yeah," he vented a sigh. "I do know,"

"I'm surprised you're not asking how we didn't find a way to rescue you earlier," Bee said to Drift, who was running beside him.

"I assumed you were doing your best," the bot replied.

I caught a sight of Bee's smile, before he hollered behind him. "Step it up, team. We have a lot of ground to cover and not much time before -"

" _Final destruction countdown,_ " the voice from above announced. " _15, 14 …_ "

"Scrap," Sides muttered. "Even in V-mode full throttle we won't make it."

"We're not done yet," Bee announced. "Everybot, think,"

"Bee," Grimlock called. "You said the ship's security shorted out?"

"Maybe that means our comms are no longer jammed!" Bee cheered, Readjusting me a little in his arms. "Bumblebee to Fixit. Fixit, come in!"

" _I read you, lieutenant,_ " the response finally came.

"We need a ground bridge portal right now,"

" _Coordinates locked, portal activating,_ "

* * *

I moved to sit up one more time, before something gently stopped me. I looked up to see Bumblebee smiling at me, his servo pushing back on my shoulder plates.

"Hey," he smiled. "Don't get up, Fixit repaired your chest, but he said that you're going to need a little recharge before your circuits are back to normal,"

"We're not exploded," I smiled, doing as I was told and laying down.

"Not today," he eased.

Grimlock approached him from behind, smiling at me softly. "I'm sorry for the punch," he muttered.

"Now I see why you like doing it so much," I replied. "You're very good at it,"

He seemed to straighten with pride, before wincing and grabbing at his side. I raised an optic ridge, but Bumblebee beat me to it.

"Optimus taught me that the team only functions at 100 percent if all its members are at 100 percent," he eased.

"You and I are pretty lucky to have great teachers," Grim replied.

Bee humphed, before turning in the direction of the minicon. "Fixit, come patch up Grimlock, will ya?"

"Certainly," he responded. "Grimlock, please open your chestplates for my systems probe, please,"

"Uh, you know what?" Strongarm announced quickly. "I'm going to go on patrol. A nice, long, patrol,"

"You see that?" Bee grinned. "That's commitment. Even after a long mission, Strongarm's volunteering for extra patrol duty,"

I smiled, allowing my systems to deactivate, sending me into a stasis. It was interrupted when a frame sat down beside me. I onlined my optics, surprised to see Sideswipe lifting my shoulders gently.

"Sorry," he muttered, leaning against the control panel, before allowing my helm and shoulders to lean against his legs. "I didn't want you to have to recharge alone. I know I get charge frights, and I didn't want you to get one. At least, not today,"

"Thank you, Sideswipe," I smiled, before falling into recharge.


	18. The Trouble With Fixit

**Sorry guys. I didn't write episode 19. It didn't have enough bot action, there was just Grimlock and Fixit and I didn't feel it was appropriate for Cara to be with them as opposed to Bee and the others. It's a great episode, you should check it out, however I'm in this big rush to get to my Optimus and bring him back in for Cara.**

 **I apologize, I hope this is alright!**

 **Please read and review ! I love you all !**

 **3**

I soared high above the junkyard, searching.

"Come on out!" I heard the dinobot far below holler.

"Cara to Bumblebee," I commed. "I have traces of him on my scanners."

" _No luck down here either,_ " came the reply. " _Come on down, Denny and Russell are going to try to pinpoint his signal on the scanners._ "

I landed beside Bee, sharing a nervous and worried look with him before turning to the humans.

"That might be him near the Alchemor crash site," Denny announced, highlighting a signal on the screen.

"But the energy signal's all weird," Russell explained, looking up to Bee and I.

* * *

" _Found him, Bee,_ " Sideswipe's voice commed. " _Treads locked, and he's stuck in a vocal rut. We'll give him a quick chuck -_ " A roar interrupted the comm, it sounded like a .. bear?

"Do you think … " I trailed off, looking at Bee.

"Possibly," he agreed.

I paused, before turning back to him. "Bets?"

"Sideswipe can beat a bear," he assured me.

"I doubt it," I countered. "Do you know what a bear is? I say he gets his aft handed to him."

"Bet," Bee argued, sticking his servo out.

* * *

"Bumblebee!" the minicon cheered, moving towards us. "Sideswipe taught me this hilarious new riddle!"

Sideswipe groaned, Jetstorm and Slipstream shadowing Fixit. "I didn't -"

"Why was I at the Alchemor, repeating the word 'escape?'"

"I give up. Why!?" Grimlock pushed past Bee, looking at Fixit with curious optics.

"I don't know!" Fixit exclaimed, before he burst into a fit of laughter.

I observed him closely as Russell and Denny pulled him away.

"Sir, Fixit's glitches are getting worse and worse," Strongarm reported. "If he suffers one at the wrong time, somebot is going to get hurt,"

"Like me," Sideswipe growled. "By a bear,"

"Does that mean you lost a fight to a bear?" I asked gently, mock worry plastered on my faceplates.

"Yes! If it wasn't for Drift's minicons, I would've been dinner,"

"Ha!" I cheered, looking at Bee. "I _won_ that one!"

Sideswipe was confused for a minute, until Bee handed me a weeks supply of energon goodies. "You bet _against_ me!?"

"Don't take it too hard," i eased him, snacking already. "Bears are pretty rough,"

"We've been aware Fixit was damaged since we found him," Bee continued on. "I should have done something about it before now,"

"I tried to, remember?" I reasoned. "He denied it,"

"I'm fine! Shoo!" he was saying in the command center to Denny and Russell.

"You're not fine, Fixit," Bumblebee urged, myself transforming and activating my holoform to walk into the center. "You need repair,"

"I do not need despair - eclair, repair!" he argued.

"Really, Fixit?" I countered, standing next to Denny. "How long have I been trying to get you to let me fix your glitches?"

"There are a few gaps in my memory banks," he retorted. "But some degeneration in the processors is normal for a minicon of my experience,"

"He means he's old," Sideswipe translated for Grimlock.

"I prefer 'seasoned,'"

"Drift!" I called. The bot appeared to my vehicle form, looking very confused, until Sides directed him to the command center. "Can I speak to Jetstorm and Slipstream for a moment?"

He released his minicons, the two of them climbing into the command with us.

"What can we do for you, Ancora?"

"I shouldn't even have to say what the first complaint is," I said, shooting them a look. They moved to bow, but I stopped them. "When you guys age, is it normal to glitch as Fixit has?"

"Yes, it is," Jetstorm reported. Fixit had a look of victory over his features.

"But not the the extent at which Fixit has been displaying recently," Slipstream continued. I looked over to Fixit mocking his look of victory.

"You're injured," Bumblebee stated firmly. "And we need you at your best, or the team can't be at its best,"

"I learned that the hard way, Fixit," Grimlock added from behind Bee.

Fixit dropped his helm, nodding slightly.

"Slipstream, Jetstorm," I called with a smile. "You two have small servos. If it's alright, I'll request your assistance," they nodded, smiling.

"Excuse me," Fixit interrupted. "No offense, but I'd prefer the diagnostic to be performed by Denny Clay,"

"Me!?" The human retorted. "I don't know how to diagnose robots from other planets!"

"Nobody is expecting you to," I calmed, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Though, Fixit, I was going to ask for the Denny and Russell to lend me a hand as well. If you want, they can do the work and I'll supervise, as I have the most training here,"

"I don't even know how to diagnose robots from _my_ planet!" he argued again.

"Don't sell yourself short, Denny Clay," Fixit eased. "You've worked extensively beside me on the field with various Cybertronian technologies. Like the decepticon hunters. And if you can fix the bubbler on a nukebox, I'm certain you can fix me,"

"Nukebox?" I questioned, raising a brow at Bee.

"He means jukebox," Denny corrected.

"I trust you, Denny Clay,"

"I'm flattered, but I'd rather have Cara there with me, she's one of you, she can tell me what to do. And I'll do it,"

"Alright, everything's solved," I beamed, deactivating the holoform and transformed. I ran a scan over Fixit, finding a lot more than just his memory banks being damaged. "You have a lot of cognitive damage, Fixit," I stated, bending down to show him my scans. "Luckily, every bot has their own repair protocols. It looks like your has been damaged, and prolong exposure to the damaged parts has caused it to worsen. Theoretically, if we can fix your cognitive array, it'll fix the repair protocols, and you should be able to heal yourself after that,"

"Repair protocols?" Grimlock questioned behind me.

"Do you know how, if you get a small dent in your frame, but you leave it be, a few days later it'll be gone?" the bots nodded. "That's your repair protocols. You can repair yourself when it comes to small injuries. Fixit's was a small issue, but his protocols were affected by it, so it didn't get fixed. As the injury aged, it spread and got worse. So if we can fix the structure, then fix the protocol, self repair should take over for us,"

They nodded, Denny Clay seeming much more at ease as I put it into words he could understand.

" _If_ I can do it," he muttered.

"I believe you can," Russell eased, smiling at him. "So does Fixit,"

* * *

"Alright, systems offline," I said. I perched my holoform on a stool in the corner of our tent, watching as Denny looked at Fixit's metals expectantly. Jetstorm and Slipstream stood on either side of the table, awaiting instructions.

"Flathead screwdriver," Denny held out a gloved hand, Jetstorm placing the desired tool in his hand. He worked for a bit, before announcing his progress. "I've exposed the control array,"

"Good," I smiled easily. "Do you know -"

"Needle nose pliers," he called, holding his hand out for Slipstream.

"Most delicate," he commented. "To think that one tiny slip, one missed connection … "

"Slipstream," I interrupted, watching Denny's hands shake. "I don't think right now is a good time to be talking about this."

"My deepest apologies,"

"Though it could reduce Fixit to the use of a … coffee grinder," Jetstorm added.

"Alright!" Denny cried. "You, you, out!"

The two left, Russell and I the only remaining ones around Fixit's offline frame.

"You can do it, dad," the boy smiled.

"I'm right here watching, Denny," I eased.

I stood as he exposed the control. I watched as he disconnected the damaged wires, moving them away to replace and repair.

That is until Fixit sat up.

"Is he supposed to be up?" Russell questioned.

"No," I muttered, watching him.

"I hope I didn't hit something I'm not supposed to," Denny questioned.

"No, you didn't," I said again, watching Fixit crawl off the table. "I don't know … what's going on,"

"Guys," Denny called, opening the curtain of the tent so Fixit can roll out. "He's up,"

"So soon?" Bumblebee questioned. He looked at the minicon, smiling gently. "Hey Fixit, how are you feeling? … Wait, why are his eyes red?"

"Suspected escapees are subject to forcible deactivation." Fixit growled. He transformed his frame, bringing forth mass weapons. "Surrender or be destroyed,"

I watched curiously.

"I wasn't aware Fixit was so well equipped," Jetstorm observed.

"Neither were we," Bee added. "Neither was he,"

"Suspected escapees are to forcible restraint and deactivation,"

"Does Fixit think we might be decepticons?"

The minicon fired at the two others, knocking them off the ground, sending them flying further from the others.

"There's your answer!"

I moved Denny and Russell to my frame, transforming once they were safely inside. I pushed them lower than my spark chamber, not wanting a repeat of what happened to me.

"What's going on?" Denny questioned.

"I'm assuming that whatever you disconnected, was exactly what Fixit needed to be fixed." I stated, moving cautiously through the junkyard. "I'm not sure it'll stay that way. Anyways, his protocols are in defense mode, from where he was on the Alchemor dealing with Cybertron's most wanted. I'm cleared in the system, as a select few were. I should be able to shut him down,"

"Then where are we?" Russell complained.

I activated my holoform, slowing my scans for Fixit just a little. I appeared right next to the humans in my chest, scaring the shit out of the both of them. "You're in my chest," I eased. "You're not in my spark chamber because I am what happened the last time somebot stuck a human in there. But, you are safe here,"

They nodded, myself deactivating the holoform to resume search for the minicon.

" _Measure four defense systems deployed and activating,_ " Fixit's voice came over the PA system. " _Suspected escapees will surrender at once,_ "

"There's only one place where he can make an announcement like that," I muttered, headed to the direction of the command center.

Except, when I got there, it was empty.

" _Cara!_ " Bee called. " _We're trapped in containment fields! Sideswipe and Grimlock are still fighting the defense systems,_ "

"I'm trying to find Fixit, where is he?"

" _He rolled away after trapping all of us. Follow the firepower, I'm sure he's going after the others!_ "

I tuned my audios, straining to hear the blasters.

" _Cara,_ " this time, it was Sideswipe. " _We have an_ actual _escaped prisoner. Chop Shop is running away with our energon, he's headed for the eastern wall!_ "

"Changing course again," I announced, moving towards the stated wall. As much as I needed to subdue Fixit, and fix him, he wasn't in danger. And, the humans were safe. So, therefore, ensuring the recapture of that decepticon was top priority.

"If Chop Shop's out, and Fixit only _expects_ us to be fugitives,..." Russell trailed off. "Cara, let us out!"

"Why!?" I demanded, finding two of the little spider bots. I vaugely saw Grim and Sides running after a few more, but that was on the back burner. "I don't know if you've been paying attention, but that's _not_ on the agenda!"

"I have an idea!" he argued again. "Trust me!"

I vented a sigh, avoiding a chop from the little spider bots.

* * *

 _Optimus growled softly, lifting his hand to my shoulder which I graciously crawled onto. "What were you four thinking, following us through the bridge?" he asked me, voice layered with anger and hurt._

" _Miko made a break," I shrugged. "The other two followed her through, and I wasn't just going to miss the opportunity to watch you work."_

" _Cara…" he rumbled, head turning to meet mine as I settled into his neck struts, holding onto a piston._

" _Optimus, I understand that you told me no," I protested him, begging him to understand. "But I could not allow three children to run into a battle zone without supervision! They're teenagers, what do you expect them to do by themselves?"_

" _How come you're not lost through the ground bridge?" Bulk grumbled angrily, staring me down … or, up…_

" _I…" I paused, looking up at Optimus' knowing, and disapproving glare. "I, didn't want to leave."_

" _Cara," he stated dangerously. I turned to him, his optics full with anger. "You_ know _that the decepticons see you as a weak link! I've explained this to you and you_ still _go against my word!"_

" _No sense in staying and arguing." Ratchet called, leading Bumblebee away from the destruction. "Discipline can come later right now we need to find the others."_

 _Optimus vented air furiously before shaking his helm, looking away from me._

…

 _Optimus moved his hand to me, which I climbed into, while Ratchet activated the bridge. He moved over to the catwalk, lowering his hand to the metal. I climbed off, looking at him disappointedly. "Remain here," he ordered, before turning to Ratchet. "Send a ground bridge." I sulked before meeting Optimus' gaze again. "If I catch you following us through I swear upon Primus himself…"_

 _I saluted him, planting my feet loudly in their spot. "Return to me, love."_

 _He narrowed his optics, before turning to stride through the ground bridge, Arcee and Bulkhead close behind._

 _He returned not five minutes later, the kids in tow. I hopped the steps down, running over to hug the kids before cuffing Miko in the back of the head. She returned a soft punch to my arm with a smile, before we noticed a rather large presence staring us down. We turned to find Optimus, hands on his hips, with an optic ridge raised in the air._

" _Look," Miko said defensively. "If you're going to blame anyone, blame me."_

" _I'm sorry," Jack joked, looking at her. "Could you repeat that, a couple dozen times?"_

" _Miko," Optimus rumbled, shutting the two of them up. "What you endured is lesson enough. We… Are just glad you are all safe." the edges of his lips turned up a bit, practically a smile, as he reached for me. The bots reaching for their perspective humans the same way._

" _So…." I stepped into his hand. "Does… This mean I'm off the hook?"_

 _He lifted me to his shoulder which I gladly scampered onto, resting a hand on his cheek. He looked at his bots with their human allies before he turned to Ratchet._

" _Ratchet… Is there a possible way that we could manifest our forms into a smaller form of ourselves?"_

 _The bot in question stared at Optimus with an expression close to that of an open mouthed one. "You mean…"_

" _Like Arcee's hologram that she uses, only more solid." He glanced at me for half a second before turning back to Ratch. "One that is… Human sized."_

" _Well…" Ratchet scoffed, glancing between the two of us. "... I can certainly try."_

* * *

"I swear on the spark of my Optimus, if you get hurt down there I'll bring you back only to kill you again," I threatened, opening my plates and allowing the two humans to crawl out and onto my servo. I set them down, the two of them taking off. I focused my attention on the two spider bots that were still attacking me. They were carrying energon cubes, _our_ energon cubes, and that wasn't going to fly. We were rationed enough.

Fixit was charging towards me, firing at one of the little spider bots. The two I was chasing joined in the crew, two more next to them. Bumblebee, Drift, Strongarm, Grimlock, and Sideswipe were all following behind. I launched the boosters on my pedes, hovering just above ground. Bumblebee transformed, flipping above the pursuers and landing just before the gate.

"Not so fast," he demanded, planting his pedes firmly.

"Gonna need a bigger road block, copper!" he cheered, the spider bots forming the little man. I launched a missle, exploding it onto his back, breaking them apart and sending them crashing onto the earth.

I moved to land, Fixit firing up his mass weapons.

"There's no threat anymore!" Bee reasoned as I ran towards them.

"Decepticon Chop Shop ignored order, therefore must be deactivated," the minicon replied.

"Minicon Fixit!" I demanded. The bot turned to face me as I kneeled down to his level. He was hostile at first, but I could tell when he started scanning me, so I let it go. "Autobot Ancora Prime, level clearance; high honor. I order you to stand down, and shut down. You are malfunctioning and must be seen to repairs. You've done your job, shut down,"

"Yes ma'am," he cheered, deactivating his weapons and systems offlining quickly. He fell into my waiting servos, myself venting a sigh of relief.

"You couldn't have done that earlier?" Sideswipe growled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

* * *

"Progress report?" Bumblebee asked, sticking his helm into the tent.

"What did I tell you about bothering me when I'm working!" I complained, barely moving from the hold I had on a wire in Fixit's systems. Denny held the other one, the two of us moving to connect it. It was silent for a while longer, before the connection sealed.

"Well," Denny shrugged. "I'm not crying yet,"

"Not on you on -"

Fixit's systems shut themselves, the minicon sitting straight up, like before.

"Fixit?" Strongarm asked hesitantly, the lot of us watching carefully.

"Huh," he replied. "I just had a very strange dream. You were there, Bee. Strongarm, and Russell too!"

"I wasn't?" I asked in mock offense.

"Fixit," Bee called seriously. "In your dream, were there pulse cannons in the scrapyard? Maybe, containment field projectors?"

"What would we need those for?" he asked innocently. He stretched, before smiling at the human beside him. "Thank you Denny Clay, I feel like a million credits,"

"Sure thing bud," he smiled. "Though, I'm not sure I fixed anything,"

He jumped off the berth, rolling out of the tent, and taking in the destruction of the scrapyard for the first time. He looked around, wide optics. I transformed, deactivating my holoform and looking at it with him.

"Sweet Solus Prime!" he exclaimed. "What happened? This mess is a place! You all have _no_ respect for order!"

Denny sighed, myself watching Fixit in amusement. "All that insanity, and he's still right back where he started,"

"The repair protocols will heal him in time," I assured the human, and Bee. "We just gotta let it have it,"

"If we cannot repair Fixit, it would be wise to access the defense systems he created,"

"See what you can do," Bee smiled to Drift, watching as they left.

He bent down, grabbing a metal slab off the ground, and moved to clear it. But he paused, staring at it curiously.

"Optimus!?" he exclaimed, looking at the slab with wide optics.

My spark clenched on itself, and I stumbled to his side, peering over his shoulder. Sure enough, my Optimus sat on the metal, looking at Bee with a serious expression.

" _Bumblebee,_ " he rumbled, my chest vibrating. " _Each day I learn more about the evil that approaches earth. You_ must _be prepared._ "

"Prepared for what?" Bee asked, my servo reaching for the slab.

" _I am not certain, but I know this; when the time comes, I shall need you as never before,_ "

"You can count on us, of course, but … "

" _I need to speak with Ancora. My time is short,_ "

Bee smiled to me, releasing the slab to my servos. I sat and stared at my bot with wide optics, my spark clenching on itself. I cradled it close to me as my knees gave out, sending me to the ground. Bee reached out a servo to steady me, which I was grateful for.

"O-Optimus?"

" _Cara,_ " he rumbled deeply, making my spark twist even more. I could feel it freeze over, pain of losing him again rising up. " _I need you to be ready as well,_ "

"Ready for what?" I almost whispered.

" _I don't know what,_ " he sad sadly. " _However the consequences will be grave, and I do not want you to get hurt,_ "

"Optimus Prime," I called. "I will face Unicron himself, again, if I have to. As long as you are by my side, I can move mountains,"

The slightest smile touched his faceplates, before his image started fading away. " _I love you …_ " he said, just as he disappeared.

I stared at the slab for a moment, hoping his image would come back, before my digits relaxed enough for it to slide free.

"Cara?" Bee asked, his voice pattern laced with worry.

I felt the pain in my spark spread. It spread to my throat, to my servos, to my pedes. It was a burning, fiery sensation I couldn't explain. I growled, bringing my servos up to claw at my throat.

"What are you doing!?" Bee yelled, trying to stop me. "Stop it!"

What was I doing? My throat was burning, I was trying to get it to stop! Wait, that's not my throat.. … it's my chest that's hurting.

I clawed at my spark chamber, my digits digging through the metals. I shoved Bee's servos away, trying to reach the source of the pain. If I can get rid of the source, maybe then I'll finally be free.

"Cara!"

What was this icky blue stuff? Oh well.

If I can get to _where_ the pain is, maybe I can stop it.

"Grimlock!"

Dig dig dig dig dig dig dig. Pain. Cease pain. It hurts too much, I have to stop it.

Strong arms wrapped around mine, pinning them close to my back. I moved to get away, but I was lifted off the ground. I kicked, connecting with something hard behind me. Bumblebee appeared in my vision.

"Help, Bee!" I called for him. "Help! My chest … it burns! Make it stop burning!"

He was saying something, maybe to me, but I couldn't hear it. The pain, the pain was spreading, it was too much! Release me, I need to stop the pain!

There was a small pinch on my arm, and I turned to see an orange minicon balancing on my captors limb. My helm started pounding, though it didn't hurt as much as my spark.

"Please!" I begged for Bumblebee one last time, even as my systems started shutting down. " _Please._ I have to … to … Have to see, my … Optimus,"

* * *

 **If I don't update soon, I promise I will. Work starts tomorrow for me, I have a 60 hour work week. Then I work 60 hours next week, then I'm starting school.**

 **I'm not giving up on this story, and I'm sorry to leave you at a cliffhanger. I love you all, review for me loves !**

 **-Lizzzard**


	19. Lock Out

" _Okay, somebody's got to say it," a young, feminine voice sounded._ Miko _. "Optimus 2 - point - 0 is rad! Imagine what the Forge could do for_ your _bod," she finished, no doubt directing that comment to her own guardian._ Oh… what was his name?

 _A familiar scoff followed, the shuffling of pistons suggesting a movement of two bots. "Is it true that the Forge has been drained of its power?" A silence confirmed the doc's question. "Then any hope of rebuilding the Omega Lock has truly been lost,"_

" _I.. did what I thought was right," a voice I hadn't heard in a long time._ Smokey _._

" _And your instincts have again proven to be quite sound," the doc confirmed, pride hidden in his vocals._

 _I strained against the lump in my throat, searching for the words I was looking for, in the language I wanted. "Damn. …. Right," I muttered, my voice weak and breathless._

 _The room fell silent, and a servo laid on mine. "Carabelle?" My Optimus rumbled close to my audios._

 _Fighting every indication that I shouldn't, I onlined my optics. The brightness of whatever hangar I was in caused me to lift my servo angrily to shield against the lights. A frustrated growl escaped as my arm fell heavily back down to the berth I rested upon. Optimus' neon blue optics appeared before my own, shielding the light for me. I leaned back, allowing my optics to adjust as a soft smile appeared on my lip plates. "Hello, .. love,"_

* * *

"What happened?" I struggled to force out, meeting Bumblebee's optics.

"We were hoping you could tell us," he smiled softly, holding onto my servo. Denny, Russell and Fixit were on the other side of my, checking the systems I was hooked up to. I had bandages along my throat and my chest, an energon drip stuck to my arm. "After Optimus left, you just lost it,"

I whimpered, the mention of my Optimus' name shooting sparks of pain through my spark. "I guess … I lost it?" I looked up to his optics again, being met with unbelieving look. "It's not like … it hasn't happened before,"

"To this extreme? No it hasn't," he countered.

I shrugged.

"Good news!" Russell interrupted, shooting his dad an excited beam. "Dad bought a roller coaster,"

"No way, seriously!?" I smiled, moving to sit up. Bee pushed against my shoulder, Fixit glaring at me. I pouted for half a minute, before I activated my holoform. I directed my body to go into a half power down, allowing my holoform to wander freely without lagging one of the two. "Let's go!"

"It's not setup yet, Cara," Bee laughed, pinching the back of my shirt and lifting me in the air. "We're still working on it," he gestured to the mountains, where sure enough, the autobots were working on building a roller coaster through the mountains.

 _Huh_.

"Hey, while we're waiting, do you want to play some football? Help me prepare for a big game?" Russell cheered, running for his ball already.

I struggled in Bee's grip, kicking my legs. "Let me down!" I demanded of him.

"Oh, how I miss when you were this small," he vented a sigh, setting me on the ground.

I paused to stick my tongue out at him, then hurried after the kid. He had found his ball, with the help from his dad, and was dancing around it proudly.

"That was my touchdown dance," he smiled cockily. "Did you like the moves?"

"Like is a very strong word," Denny chuckled teasingly. I smiled, waving to Denny, who in the middle of waving to me got distracted by the bots on the mountain behind me. "Aw, the bots make it look so easy," he grumbled, watching them work with a smug look on his face. "Moving tons of metal like that,"

"It _is_ easy," I promised him. "If you're three stories tall,"

"And can crush train cars with your bare hands," Russell added.

"I've never seen anyone do that," I countered, the boy smiling.

"Ask Grimlock,"

"Do we seem like … insignificant little bugs to you guys?" Denny asked in innocent curiosity.

I thought a moment before answering. "To me? No. Because I was born in this form," I gestured to my body, still skin and bones, a direct manifestation of what the real me was looking like. "To the bots? No, because they befriended us. Have you ever asked Bee about Raf?" No. "Do it sometime, and watch his face light up. That bot loved that boy, with all he ever had,"

"We give them a safe place to stay," Russell added. "And help them stay hidden. That's enough, isn't it?"

"It's more than enough," I smiled, resting a hand on Denny's shoulders. "I couldn't thank you enough for your care you provide for Bee's team and I. I appreciate it, more than you could ever know,"

"Football?" Russell asked me with a smile.

I grinned at the boy, holding my hands up.

"Cara," Bee called just as Russell threw the ball. I caught it, turning to meet the bot in the same motion. "We're going after a decepticon."

"Cool! I can -"

"No. You are confined to your holoform, nothing more, unless you're sleeping, until Fixit clears you," he demanded flatly. "Russell, you're on Cara duty,"

"Sweet," he smiled, holding his hands above his head. "I'm open, I'm open!"

I rolled my eyes, tossing the ball in a semi-perfect spiral.

"Understood?"

"Yes, mother,"

Russell started laughing, the ball he was clutching to his chest toppling out as he heard what I said.

* * *

"Cara!" Denny cried, waving his arms above Russell's head. "I'm open, here!"

I threw a spiral, missing Denny's head by a lot. It soared through the air, the three of us running after it, headed straight into the command center. Fixit reached a servo out, catching the ball just before it hit him in the helm.

"Woa," Denny smiled. "Great hands,"

The minicon passed the ball back to us, opening a different screen. "Strange," he mumbled. I moved forward, standing behind him to look over his shoulder. "The decepticon is traveling away at a rapid pace. Bumblebee, status please," he called through the comm, getting static in return. I raised my optics, watching him carefully. He pulled up another screen focusing entirely on it. "The comm systems, they've been jammed."

"Who could've -"

"This is impolite!" he interrupted me. "Imposter - Impossible! The gate is open and the perimeter security is offline!"

I headed down the walkway, the others following behind me.

"We'd better check this out," Denny muttered, jogging beside me.

"Well, well," an easy voice called. I skidded in the dirt, looking up at the con before me. "A welcoming committee, how very kind,"

Steeljaw, Underbite, Thunderhoof, and … that crab thing moved about before us. Thunderhoof reached down, grabbing myself and Russell in his claws, the crab doing the same with Denny.

"Unhand me this instant," I growled lowly.

"Fracture," Steeljaw almost cooed. "Perhaps one of your little friends could relieve the minicon of his duties for a little while?"

The purple, evil conniving little bot released a part of his shoulder, it transforming and setting up shop where Fixit usually stood.

"I beg your pardon," Fixit growled.

"Not to worry," the wolf sneered. "Just upgrading your security system,"

"With the limited materials here on earth? Ha! Look, there is nothing you could possibly do to upgrade -"

"Oh, but you're wrong. Or, are you not aware of my previous crimes? Bring up my dossier, Airazor, this should be fun,"

"Oh, I am well aware of your reputation," Fixit countered. "Jailed for instigating rebellion, Knowledge of subsonics, but -"

"Subsonics, precisely! Your security system can be easily rewired to emit sonic pulses that don't affect the bots outfitted with the special chips I've cobbled together for my friends and me. But aren't nearly as kind to standard Din and Autobots, as Bee and his team will soon discover,"

"No!" I growled, moving around in the servo I was caught in.

Steeljaw smirked at me, plucking me from Thunderhoof and dangling me from my hair. I hissed, grabbing at the roots to try to relieve pressure from my scalp.

"Ancora Prime," he sneered lowly. "How nice to see you in your _disgusting_ native form. How _Optimus Prime_ could've fallen in love for a _squishy_ is beyond me,"

"Maybe because he liked femmes with a strong will, not mechs who can't fight back," I countered with a grin.

He snarled, tossing me straight up in the air. I deactivated my holoform before any damage could be done to it, but I quickly activated it again by the gates, where Bee was clamping at his audio receptors.

"Like our new doorbell, Bumblebee?" Steeljaw laughed, picking me up again in a crushing grip in his servo.

"Denny!"

"Russell!"

Sideswipe and Strongarm charged forward, moving to push past Bumblebee.

"Guys, stop!" I called frantically, but it was too late.

"Autobots!" Bee cried. "Turn off your audio receptors … No good!" he pushed his servos on the sides of his helm again, trying to tune out the screeching. "It must affect all our systems, not just auditory!"

"I would have modified the defence's subsonics to destroy you, but the power source was too limited."

"It's okay Bee!" Russell tried to reassure the bot, clutching at the claws of Fracture's minicon. "We're fine!"

"Let them go, Steeljaw!" Bee demanded lowly.

"Better yet," the con grinned.

I gasped, onlining my optics. I struggled against the con carrying me towards the gates. "Unhand me you slimey, dirty fuckin -"

"Cara!" Bee cried. My holoform deactivated, all my energy going towards fighting Underbite who was carrying me forward. I was slammed on the ground, the brute's pede pushing against my back to keep my down. My spark chamber protested, my neck straining as I felt the warmth of more energon seeping into the bandage.

"Let's discuss my team's demands," Steeljaw smiled, bringing his claws dangerously close to Russell's face. "Throw us your weapons," he smiled even wider.

"Bumblebee don't!" Russell protested, even as the claws got closer to him. I struggled against the ground, trying to push up. Thunderhoof grabbed my servos, stretching them painfully behind my back. I bit my lipplates, stopping myself from crying out.

Bee still knew.

Three decepticon hunters were tossed towards the gate entrance.

"Thunderhoof, bring them here,"

The con grumbled, releasing my servos and moving forward. I tried to take advantage of the new freedom, but Underbite grabbed them before I could even move.

"Go here, Do that," the con argued, Steeljaw straightening. "I was a boss on Cybertron!"

"This isn't Cybertron," Steeljaw growled.

Thunderhoof groaned, but gathered the weapons anyways, throwing them to his pedes.

"Fine, leave them here," Steeljaw grinned. "There's no way for you and your motley crew to retrieve them through the sonic field.

"I'll … " Bee groaned, grabbing at his audios again. "Find a way … Steeljaw!"

The decepticon laughed. "You can try! But I'd advise you all to flee instead. Because soon, you'll be far outnumbered, and torn into spare parts,"

I fought as Underbite drug me to my pedes. I strained against him, trying to remember everything my Optimus had taught me, but for some reason I _couldn't break the hold._

* * *

I sat leaning against a shelf of junk, my servos bound behind me with stasis cuffs. Russell and Denny stood beside my pedes, Fixit just before them.

The decepticons had taken time to gather all the stasis pods Team Bee has worked to recapture, and make a pile in the corner of the scrap yard.

"Clampdown!" Steeljaw hollered for the crab. _That's his name_. "Open these stasis pods and set our decepticon brethren free!"

"Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait!" Fixit stumbled, moving forward towards the wolf. "Uh, the pods can only be unlocked from the command center, or-or they could explode!"

"He's lying," Underbite growled, hovering close to the minicon. "I can smell it,"

Steeljaw reached down, grabbing ahold of Fixit and lifting him in the air. I struggled to stand up, but Thunderhoof gave me a pointed glare before I settled back into the shelf.

"Then you'll open the pods," he growled, tossing Fixit into the command center.

"Heh, sure! I-I'd be happy to!"

"We don't have a chance," Denny sighed. "Not with all these enermo-robo-crooks waiting to stomp us at any moment,"

Thunderhoof moved to peer at the humans below, but I kicked out, connecting with his chest plates. He barely stumbled, but glared at me anyways.

"I'm not so sure dad," Russell whispered, the two of them moving closer to me. I shielded them best I could as they snuck away, their plan unknown to me.

"What's the delay?" he growled.

"Heh, I can never remember my password,"

"I suggest you improve your memory, minicon, or I will take your failure out on your precious -" He glared at me, growling softly. "The humans! Thunderhoof, Clampdown, locate the prisoners, _now!_ " the two left as they were told, Steeljaw moving to me. He ran a claw down my faceplates, my optics never wavering from his as he cut a deep line into my sensitive metals. "On your precious Prime," he finished his statement looking at Fixit.

"Fixit," I growled, still not looking away from the decepticon. "No matter what happens, do _not_ release those pods,"

"But, Cara, I -"

"Carabelle, isn't it?" Steeljaw sneered. "I bet Optimus Prime really enjoyed your defiance, didn't he? Oh, I've heard stories."

"Hope they helped you reach an overload at night," I sneered right back. "A bot like you could really use one, especially when you can't get a bot into your berth,"

He growled, striking me across the face. It stung, but I ignored it best I could. The bandage on my neck was sopping with energon, and I had to refrain from injuring it further.

The two cons from before returned, and I anxiously watched as they approached. Denny fell to the ground, backing as close to me as he could.

"Where's the smaller one?"

" _Some_ body let him slip through his claws," Thunderhoof growled, giving the crab a glare.

"Me!?" he countered. "I'm the bot that actually caught a human!"

Steeljaw growled, grabbing Denny from my side. I moved to trip him, but Underbite quickly stepped on my leg. I growled, biting down the shout of pain again. He stomped towards the command center, squeezing Denny tightly.

"Minicon, open those stasis pods now, or I'll make a painful example of this one,"

"Alright, here we go!" Fixit cried, pressing a button. A single pod opened, the con tossing Denny aside. The man ran back to me, hiding behind me this time.

"Denny," I whispered back, not taking my optics off those around me. "See if you can release the cuffs,"

The human nodded, before setting to work.

On three corners of the base, a whole shit ton of noise erupted. It sounded like someone banging stuff together, but if it was a distraction, it worked.

"Are the sonics down?" Steeljaw asked the minicons.

In reply, they shook their heads.

"Fan out!" he ordered. While they left, the stasis pods stopped opening. "Why did they stop?" he demanded.

"A pod must achieve equilibrium with the atmosphere before fully opening." Fixit explained quickly. "You don't want non-functioning decepticons, do you?"

Something soared over the gates of the scrapyard. It crashed in the command center, knocking Fixit off his pedes and onto the ground. I watched, trying to identify it, when it transformed.

"Slipstream!" I cheered with a broad smile.

I stopped, trying to think of why -

"He said it affect Din and Autobots," I whispered to Denny, who was still messing with the cuffs. "He never said minicons! He must not be aware Drift has the twins!"

Another UFO crashed into the command center, this time hitting and destroying the controls. It transformed beside his brother, Jetstorm grinning before engaging the other two minicons.

"No!" Steeljaw fought, turning to face me. He grinned, stooping close again. He patiently tapped the cut on my face, smiling. "If I can't have my decepticons, I'll have you,"

For the first time in a long time, I feared a decepticon.

Some yellow blur connected with Steeljaw, sending him flying away from me. They paused, myself catching sight of Bee.

"Dad!" Russell cried. "Over here!"

"But -"

"Go, Denny," I encouraged, watching as Bee and Steeljaw fought it out. "Get yourself to safety, I'll be fine,"

Steeljaw and Bumblebee tumbled around the open area around the command center ruthlessly.

"You're too late, lieutenant," Steeljaw smiled, even as he was pinned to the ground.

"The pods!" I argued, checking on them. The cryo-stasis had worn off. The remainders of the team approached me. "Close the pods!" I ordered, struggling with the cuffs. Bee and Steeljaw continued to tumble, the others running to the pods.

It took a moment, but eventually the pods closed, the bots relaxing against them.

I turned back to Bee, where he'd shoved the con against a wall, smiling triumphantly.

"Looks like your army has deserted you, Steeljaw," he grinned. The con twisted, kicking Bee away from him. He moved to make a run, but the others cornered him in.

"I will give the decepticons their own world," he growled. " _This_ world! And I shall rule them!"

"Not today you won't, Steeljaw," Bee growled.

One of Fracture's minicons pounded onto Bee, giving Steeljaw the distraction he needed. He transformed, burning rubber to get out of the junkyard quickly. They transformed, quickly driving after them. I vented a quick sigh of relief, before actually allowing my systems to relax.

Slipstream, Jetstorm, Fixit, Denny and Russell began a trek towards me, the dust settling.

"Well guys, that was fun," I cheered, flexing my servos.

* * *

It was quiet as Bee gently ran his digits over the cut on my faceplates.

"I'm _fine_ ," I argued for the umpteenth time, pushing him away. "I promise,"

"I was worried, sis," he vented a sigh, wrapping his arms around me in a hug. "First your breakdown, now this?"

I touched my throat, where Fixit reattached some lines and replaced a weld over them.

"I'm sorry, Bee," I said quietly. "I didn't mean to scare you like that, I … I don't know what happened."

"You miss him," he stated the obvious. "We all know that. But he's coming. Please, wait for him,"

I vented another sigh, relenting to his hug. I wrapped my own arms around him, hugging him close to me.

"Thanks, Bee,"

"Anytime, sis,"


	20. Similarly Different

**To answer a few questions ::**

 **Optimus & Cara will be together again, if you watch the episodes you'll see how close I am to bringing them together on earth again. **

**On the subject of children ;; that's honestly up to you guys. It is going to get pretty yummy, I'm hoping, and there'll be some dark subjects coming up as well. It almost got dark in the last one but I couldn't do it, not just yet.**

 **Let's take a vote.**

 **Should Optimus Prime and Ancora (Carabelle) Prime have a child or two?**

 **Lemme know in a review, and I'll make whatever happen. This one's completely up to you guys.**

 **Happy reading !**

 **\- Lizzzard**

* * *

I woke from my recharge to the sound of Russell climbing out of his camper. I detected the sound of Denny snoring, and Russell's tired face, and I understood immediately. He moved towards the diner, but stopped when he caught my optics.

"Hey Cara," he yawned, stretching his hands above his head. "Is .. Could I bunk with you tonight?"

I smiled, transforming and opening my door for the human. "There's a sleeper in the back," I whispered, shutting the door after he'd climbed in.

"Thank you," he yawned again.

"Not a problem,"

* * *

Russell had left my sleeper a while ago, meeting his father in the diner for breakfast. He was in a much better room, having rested decently with me. I talked him through asking his dad for a separate residence, at least to keep the snoring down.

I moved back to my spot on the far end of the base, near the wall with the hole in it. I watched the river, ever moving, never stopping.

I smiled softly.

* * *

 _I vented out a sigh of relief, relaxing into his arms. I leaned onto his chest, welcoming his embrace around me. "I'm sorry,.." I finally said after a moment of silence. "I don't. … I don't know why I got like that…"_

" _It's alright," Optimus chuckled. "You should've heard what I was saying while the others were convincing me to ask you,"_

" _The great Optimus Prime needed_ convincing _?" I poked at him. "Hardly seems likely."_

" _I was thinking…" he pulled me away, resting his servos on my shoulders. I watched as his frame changed, he was no longer the tall, proud leader that I had grown accustomed to seeing; he was now just a mech - like a man asking his love to marry him. "There's a… a place where young bots go to be bonded. … the bonding circle. They have, those who support them holding servos, gathered along a circle. Usually, a Prime will conduct the ceremony of those in higher power however, I think we'll need an exception," he grinned at me, cupping my faceplates again with his own servo. "Ancora Prime, Carabelle, will you bond with me, on Cybertron? At my home?"_

 _I took a moment to look into his optics._ This _was my Optimus. My loving, caring, wholehearted mech who would move heaven and earth for me. Literally. "I would be honored, Optimus Prime,"_

* * *

The ground shaking underneath me interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see a dinobot charging ahead towards the command center, where Denny, Russell and Fixit were. I stood, moving to follow.

"Back from solo patrol!" he cheered. "And, I did not see one filthy decepticon,"

I took a moment to take in the new addition to the scrapyard; a camper that looked as if it had seen better days.

"Another uneventful patrol, huh?" Bee questioned, him and Strongarm returning from their target practice.

"Maybe we're running out of decepticons," I shrugged, falling onto my aft.

"Maybe," Grimlock shrugged. "Cause my patrol was totally uneventful too. I mean, completely free of decepticons, and of smashing of any kind,"

I raised an optic ridge at the bot as Sideswipe returned from … wherever he was.

"Lieutenant!" Fixit cheered, pulling out his portable thingy. "I've picked up a decepticon signal, near the old demolition derby in the woods,"

"Grim, isn't that right where you were patrolling?" Strongarm questioned him.

"Was it? Huh." he scratched his helm, trying _way_ to hard to play innocent. "Did not notice. I was really busy, uhm, not smashing stuff."

I nodded to Bee, who vented a sigh and stared at the bot.

"Grim," was all he said.

"I saw another dinobot, and I let him go,"

"You let an escaped criminal roam free!?"

"Strongarm," I scolded, tugging on her arm as Bee facepalmed.

"Scowl wasn't hurting anyone!" the dinobot defended himself. "He was just smashin.' That's what dinobots do! I bet he's just completely innocent. I mean, sweet guy. Real sweet."

"Fixit?" I questioned, tugging Bee close to me.

The minicon pulled up the Alchemor's manifest, Russell peering over his shoulder.

"The database says this Sowl worked for Thunderhoof. He was a wrecker, destroying the homes of bots who wouldn't vacate after Thunderhoof stole the land they sat on."

All optics turned to Grim, who ducked his helm sadly.

"Scrap,"

"A wrecker, as in like Bulkhead and Wheeljack?" I questioned, shooting a nervous glance at Bee.

"Negative," Fixit replied. "After the war, the team the Wreckers broke apart. Being a wrecker simply meant destroying things, a name from decepticon origin to replace that of the autobot squadron,"

Bumblebee vented a frustrated sigh. "Well, hopefully, Scowl hasn't hooked up with Thunderhoof yet,"

"But if he has, maybe Scowl can lead us to the rest of Steeljaw's pack." Strongarm grinned, transforming with Sideswipe and Drift, awaiting Bumblebee's terrible war cry.

"I won't let you down again, Bee," Grimlock promised, while I transformed.

"I hope not, Grim," the bot sighed. "Okay Autobots," he grinned, pointing towards the gate. "Let's wreck and roll!"

"See 'wreck' because Scowl wrecks stuff and then I - and then I was like 'roll' because -"

"Just transform, Bee," I encouraged.

"Right,"

Grimlock and Bee transformed, the six of rolling out.

* * *

"I still don't think Scowl's a bad bot," Grimlock muttered, mainly to Bee and I than to the group. "What if I took him under my … claw? I could be what you guys were to me. You know, a minotaur,"

"'Mentor,'" I corrected with a soft smile.

"And I don't think that's a good idea, Grimlock," Bee added sadly. "Based on his rap sheet, Scowl seems unlikely to change his ways anytime soon."

"His name is Scowl," Sideswipe interrjected, myself noting the group had stopped. "I mean, it's totally a bad guy name,"

"Besides," Drift rumbled. "Mentorship is not without its difficulties,"

"I think the master is speaking about you, Slipstream," Jetstorm muttered to his twin by Drift's pedes.

"Clearly, he was speaking about you, Jetstorm,"

"Grimlock," I called for the bots attention with a smile. "I get it. Bee and I both fought to make you a part of this team, remember?" he nodded.

"Scowl is not like you," Bee finished for me. "He's a violent criminal."

"He's my buddy," Grim smiled, his voice almost desperate. "He wouldn't hurt anyone. I made him promise not to,"

"Grimlock," I gained his attention again. "I want you to know, that if Scowl is honestly willing to change his ways, we would gladly welcome him to the team. Every sentient being possesses the capacity for change,"

Grimlock nodded, and we marched on.

"Optimus said that, didn't he?" Bee questioned, leaning close to me.

I smiled, nodding.

* * *

" _Optimus," I sighed in relief, clasping my servos around his neck. "Oh my gods, my Optimus,"_

 _My bot chuckled, wrapping his own arms around my waist, spinning me in a quick circle. "My Cara," he breathed, pressing his lips against mine._

 _I turned to look at the container on the ground as the others began to head our way. "What happened?"_

" _As a being comprised of pure energy, Unicron's anti-spark was vulnerable to this reliquary of the Primes."_

" _But if he's in there," Smoke pointed. "Where's -"_

" _Praise the Allspark!"_

 _I groaned, turning to see Screamer assisting Megatron's frame to his peds. "Master!" he cheered. "You're alive!"_

" _Ah," he painfully groaned, unsteady on his new peds. "Indeed." he grabbed the back of his helm, painfully squinting his optics._

" _You're new battle armour will take things to the next level, my liege! Together, we will reunite all decepticons and once again grind Cybertron under your mighty heel!"_

" _No!"_

 _I froze, Optimus' frame doing the same. "What? Why?" Screamer protested, his frame the same as ours._

 _The warlord turned towards us, walking until he was directly in front of us. Optimus pushed me behind him, wearily clenching his fist. Megatron met our optics, before his widened, softened, and he answered. "Because I now know the true meaning of oppression and have thus lost my taste for inflicting it,"_

 _Optimus narrowed his optics as Starscream chuckled nervously. "You've clearly been traumatized, master. A good power down and a stroll around the smelting pit will put you back in touch with your inner warlord,"_

" _Enough!" he shouted. "The Decepticons are no more, and that is final!"_

…

" _We can turn to Vector Sigma, just like we did before," Arcee added in._

 _Optimus shook his helm, sighing deeply. "Because the matrix must now be relinquished with the Allspark, it cannot be restored or passed down to another. But while this very much may mark the end of the Age of Primes, leadership can be earned with or without the matrix, and in my view, you have each acted as a Prime."_

" _Well," Knockout scuffed at the floor nervously. "I never really had the best role models,"_

" _As even Megatron has demonstrated on this day, every sentient being posses the capacity for change," he turned, his jetpacks activating. Somehow, my systems decided to turn to those more human, and I let out a sob. I latched onto my bot, crying dryly as I clung to him. "I ask only this of you, fellow autobots; take care of my Carabelle, and keep fighting the nobelist of fights,"_

" _You can count on us," Bee confirmed, smiling up at him bravely._

* * *

 _Something's wrong._

"Everybot stop!" I whispered, every pausing.

"Cara?" Bee questioned, even as I offlined my optics to try to highten my audio sensors. "What is it?"

Before I could reply, something hit me in the shoulder plate. It knocked me backward, taking the rest of the team with me onto the ground. I clutched at the beautiful dent, sporting a few damaged energon lines.

"Traitor!" I heard someone yell.

Grimlock chuckled as I rolled onto my side, attempting to pick myself up. "Hey … buddy,"

I heard something pound into the ground, Grimlock's frame sliding into place right beside me the next moment. He kept his optics focused on something else, yet offered me a dervo to help me up.

"Some Dino you are," the someone growled angrily as Grim held me close. I could feel the others behind me, but I didn't take my optics off the one now in front of me. "I thought we were pals, I thought we had a deal!"

"Wait Scowl, you -"

The dinobot smashed a tree, Grimlock ducking, taking me with him. It soared above us, smashing into the others and knocking them off their pedes.

When we stood back up, the dinobot was charging through the forest, knocking trees down left and right.

"Are you alright?" the dinobot asked me sincerely. I nodded, him leaving me to haul the trunk off the others.

"I do not believe that decepticon would be receptive to a minotaur," Jetstorm pointed out.

Grimlock glared at the little bot, before sagging a little. He looked over at me again, watching worriedly as I connected some of the energon lines.

"Sorry," he muttered, moving towards me.

"It's alright, Grimlock," I offered him a smile, concealing the pained expressions as I extended my arm. "It's fine,"

* * *

We moved from the forest line towards a train station. We pulled into a parking lot, where the dinobot was literally standing there, motionless.

We transformed, watching him curiously.

"Wow, Grim," Sideswipe called. "Are all dinobots this good at camouflage?"

"Let's make this quick," Bee called, before a response could be given.

We charged forward, the dinobot tossing his hammer like weapon behind him and transforming. He was … was … a Spike from the Land Before Time. Or something like that. He smashed is tail into the side of a bus, lifting it up, and slamming it above his head. We scattered, myself diving with Grimlock and Bumblebee, the others diving to the other side.

I groaned, moving to Grimlock. I noticed the others recovering and moving to intercept the dinobot who had crawled onto the tracks, but Grimlock hasn't moved. I scanned him, taking in the many dents to his frame. There was one energon leak, which I patched up easily. He groaned as I finished, placing his armour back where it should.

"Cara?"

"Go kick ass, Grim," I encouraged, before standing and moving towards the other. The damn con pummeled the bridge, and there's a train coming.

"Scowl," I heard him say, even as I braced bridge."It doesn't have to be like this. Imagine using all your smashing to do good stuff, maybe even help bring in bad guys like I do. Doesn't that sound great!?"

The con chuckled. "Sounds boring. I smash what I want, when I want, and I ain't stopping for no bot!"

I heard the two smashing and battling it out up top, but what scared me the most, was the feeling of the vibrations of an incoming train.

"Bee!" I called, watching as pieces of the track tumbled around me. "It's too damaged! It won't work!"

"I can see that!" he grumbled back.

" _Final train of the day, now arriving,_ " the PA system announced.

"We have to knock down the remaining sections of track," Bee instructed frantically.

"Isn't the problem that there's not enough track?" Sideswipe asked sarcastically.

"Yes, so we need to make a new one," Strongarm smiled, looking past me.

"You guys do that, I'll check on Grim," I fired my boosters, kicking off the road and into the air. When I got up there, Grimlock was on the track on his stomach, Scowl stalking threateningly towards him, his tail waving high above him. He moved to slam it down on the dinobot, but I quickly landed defensively in front of him, catching the tail. It smashed through my servos, smashing my chest. I seethed, feeling the pressure on my spark, but I quickly shoved it aside.

"Grim, we need you!"

"Looks like you've gone soft, dinobot," Scowl snarled, pushing further down on me. "Needing a weak little femme to fight your battles for you? Pathetic,"

Grimlock stood, grabbing a hold of the tail and tugging it free from my grasp. I exhaled deeply, watching him fight off the con easily.

"That's Ancora Prime," Grimlock defended lowly. "You will _not_ talk bad about her - or harm her! - ever again!"

I sunk to my knees, only listening as Grim pounded behind me. I vented a deep sigh, clutching at the gaping hole in my chest. I scanned myself, finding many energon leaks and breaks. Too many to repair myself. I vented a sigh, leaning back to onto the track.

"Cara," Sideswipe appeared in my vision, offering me a gentle smile. I returned it best I could.

"Sup?"

"I'm going to help you back to base, until the others catch up.

"M'fine," I protested, batting his servos away. "Go … help,"

"I am helping," he demanded. "I'm helping you. Now let's go,"

* * *

When the others finally returned, Fixit had just finished connecting my energon lines, and had moved to assist Denny and Russell. Grimlock moved up to me, sitting beside me.

"I take it he didn't want to switch sides?" I questioned, smiling softly at him while not moving.

"No…" he vented frustratingly. "I tried, Cara. But you can't help someone if they don't want to be helped,"

"That's very wise of you, Grim," I offered him another smile. I twisted me helm slightly, meeting his optics.

"I'm sorry I got you hurt," he mumbled again.

"Psh, it'll buff,"

He scoffed, before pausing for a moment. "What were _the_ Wreckers like on Cybertron during the wars?"

"I only knew two of them, Wheeljack and Bulkhead," I smiled, thinking back to the days. "Bulkhead had a human friend, her name was Miko. They liked mudding, dune smashing, and his favorite game was lobbing,"

"I _love_ lobbing!" he cheered.

I laughed. "So did Bulk. And when his best bud Wheeljack joined the crew, I thought I'd never hear to end of metal crashing into metal. But then Ultra Magnus joined Team Prime, and he was the leader of the wreckers. You think my Optimus was strict? This guy yelled at _me_ while I was still _human_ for not addressing him properly." Grim cringed, and I laughed. "It's alright, they were amazing bots, ones I'd give anything for."

"Got any cool stories?"

I grinned.

* * *

" _Nice operation you got here, Megatron," Wheeljack called smartly though the comm. "Although technically, you might say it's under new management."_

"Wheeljack _," the warlord almost praised. "_ The one who enjoys explosive devices _."_

"Awe, he got you right on the spot, 'Jackie _," I laughed, shooting the bot a grin._

" _What can I say, chief? I'm uncouth."_

"Is that Optimus' pet i hear _?"_

" _You should probs pay attention, Megsy," I smiled. "You've got this one sitting on top of one massive mining op."_

"The loss of one asset is hardly a blow to the decepticon cause _."_

" _Maybe. But I'm going to keep on hitting them. One by one. Until you give us what I want." Wheeljack growled, setting his controls on his ship. Miko watched from the control board._

"And what, pray tell, would that be _?"_

" _Hardshell," I demanded flatly._

" _The Insecticon scum who tried to frag Bulkhead." He finished for me._

"Tried _?" I could hear the gears running in his wretched mind. "_ Are you saying the Autobot lives _?"_

"He's bluffing _!" I heard the same voice as I heard a few hours before over Bulk's comm._

" _Wouldn't bet on it," I cheered._

" _So here's the deal. I'm going to transmit the coordinates of my next target. If hardshell cares to meet me there, maybe he can save you from another loss. Oh, and Megatron. In case you ever wondered what 3 tons of exploding energon sounds like…." He hit a red button on his control, the ship rising and firing missiles towards the cave we were in just moments before. The ship retreated as a massive explosion rattled the ground below, the air turning a more neon blue than normal._

…

" _MECH can melt him down for all I care," Bulkhead protested himself. "Let the cons rescue their own."_

" _It is unlikely that Megatron would bother with an errand of mercy." I looked up at my bot proudly, smiling as he glanced down at me worriedly._

My _bot?_

" _Okay…" Arcee trailed off. "But this is Breakdown we're talking about."_

" _Sometimes we must rise above ourselves for the greater good," I said for Optimus, using my best impersonation of him that I could. Miko laughed at me, and Optimus shot me an amused look._

" _Oh, what's that supposed to mean!?" Bulkhead complained. "Breakdown's going to be grateful and go all soft and join the cause?"_

" _While it is unlikely that any decepticon will choose the path of good, even they posses the potential to change."_

 _Bulkhead grunted angrily. "I knew where this was headed!" he grumbled._

" _By 'greater good,' I'm assuming Cara meant humankind," Optimus rumbled threateningly to Bulk. "MECH presents a clear and present danger."_

" _Prime's right, two-ton," Fowler growled next, pushing past Miko to glare at the bot. "We know MECH is obsessed with obtaining ground breaking technology."_

" _Which means we cannot allow Cybertronian_ bio _logy to fall into their hands,"_

 _The tension in the hangar was so thick you could cut it with a knife. As much as Bulkhead disliked the idea, we knew he wouldn't dare go against the words of the Prime. The bot in question folded his arms across his chest, staring at the ground angrily._

" _Come on, Bulk…" Miko begged. "You've gotta go with!"_

" _Don't wanna," he pouted._

…

"You're _missing the smackdown!" She crawled to her feet facing the bot. "Which stinks because Breakdown is_ your _archenemy,_ not _Optimus', and definitely_ not _MECH's."_

 _Bulkhead sighed. "Miko, you don't understand," he said softly, almost soothingly. "Breakdown and me? We go way back. You have no idea the things he's done," he turned away, where he met me. I folded my arms, giving him a pointed look. "I'm not rescuing him, okay?" he turned back to Miko. "Not now, not ever!"_

" _Duh," she chanted nonchalantly. "You don't need to bromance him," she complained. "You just need to_ beat _him!"_

" _Uh…." I looked between the two of them, lost now._

" _What?" Bulkhead asked, confirming he was as confused as I am._

" _No rescue, no rematch!"_

…

"Uh, Cara…" _Wheeljack's voice came through a comm. "_ You're never going to believe this _,"_

" _What is it?" I asked, facing the communications hub, confused to see Ratchet unmoving, again._

"Miko is tearing up decepticons _."_

 _A visual of Miko in the Apex Armor appeared in my optics, and I watched in awe as she bounced between two vehicon fliers and Starscream, throwing punches and snide remarks just like she was one of us._

"You do know that I vanquished Cliffjumper, don't you _?" Starscream cheered, my energon boiling inside of me._

"Big whoop _," Miko cheered, her expression faultless from the inside of the armour._ "I Snuffed Hardshell,"

 _The two engaged in a stare down. "Uh, guys…" I called to them, the image disappearing. "As much as I'd love to let her continue, I don't like the idea of Miko tangoing with the second in command of the decepticons."_

"Retreat!" _came Starscream's order as the coward soared away, the other two following._

"Aw _," came Miko's voice from the still - open comm from 'Jackie. "_ They got away with the bone,"

"Hey _," he called to her. "_ You brought your A - game, kid, like a true Wrecker _."_

…

" _Ultra Magnus to stealth team," he called over a comm. "Status report,"_

"Having a little trouble reaching the objective _," came Arcee's report, blaster fire echoing through. "_ Security is tighter than we anticipated, sir,"

" _Keep them occupied," he ordered, narrowing his optics._

 _He directed his ship to hover near an opening into Darkmount, and he pulled himself from his driver's chair. "We going in?" I asked him, securing my pistols on my thighs and the ammunition around my shoulders._

 _His only response was opening the hatch below, and jumping onto the metal surface of the Nemesis as his ship soared away. He lept through the air, firing on the screen facing a window like structure. He fired on a few of the vehicon warriors monitoring the screen. One of them pulled away, turning to aim his blaster at Magnus' back. I pulled my pistol out, aiming true. As I disengaged the safety, I thought back to Optimus, and the many times he took me to the shooting range, teaching me to shoot. I felt Orion's hands gently brush against my own as I clutched my finger that was hovering over the trigger, I felt his hot breath down my neck as the kickback pushed against my muscles. Time seemed to return to me as the con fell to the ground, my spark flaring in anger._

 _The two of us exchanged a look, before Magnus cocked his gun. I was stunned back to him as he released a cry of surprise, and his weapon shot from his hands and clattered onto the ground._

" _Ultra Magnus," a raspy voice echoed from above. I turned towards it as a familiar grey form fell from below. "Allow me to venture," he grumbled. "You intend to disarm my fusion cannons by disabling their powercore,"_

" _Indeed, Megatron," Magnus responded, his form straightening below me. His voice was strong, and without any other sound other than pride. "And you are standing in my way," He transformed his servos into blasters, firing onto the con as he charged him._


	21. The Buzz on Windblade

Strongarm's idea of training … was _this_!?

We all crowded around a little rocking horse, Fixit poking it skeptically.

"And the lower appendages, or hooves, of a real horse can cause serious injury," Strongarm concluded her book report on a horse.

"Strongarm," Bumblebee eased. "Horses aren't usually aggressive unless provoked,"

"Perhaps not, sir, but given how many of the Alchemor's inmates are analogues to earth's animals, it is vital we understand any -"

"Enough!" Sideswipe silenced her, glaring at the femme. "The only way to train, is to actually train. Which is what I'm going to do. Right now,"

I got up to follow the bot, Grimlock excitedly raising his servo in the air. "Strongarm!" he questioned, before anything could be said to stop us. "Is it true kittens can swarm?"

* * *

"She's just trying to do her best, Sideswipe," I reasoned with him, even as twisted in the air, landing on his pedes. I eased beside him, deactivating my boosters just as we touched down.

"By teaching me what a horse is?" he scoffed. "I know what they are,"

"They're actually quite fun," I muttered, kicking into the air as Sideswipe took off again.

It took a while, before Sides paused long enough for us to pick up some crashing with our audios. I transformed, jetting ahead even with Sides close on my heels. When I arrived at the scene, there was a red plane hovering _way_ below what humans consider safe, squaring off with a decepticon looking creature. I hovered beside the plane, watching the con closely.

He growled at us, before shooting blasts from his digits.

I dived right as she went left, the both of us transforming as we rolled. I dived forward, knocking the con out of the tree he was perched in, right below the new … femme?

"Lights out, kitty!" she cheered, launching an attack from her wings. The con crashed into a rock, myself watching it for a second to be sure it was down.

"Awesome take down!" Sides cheered, moving forward. He was covered in mud, and I couldn't even tell who it was.

"Freeze decepticon," she threatened lowly, her wings warming up threateningly.

I started laughing at the look of pure horror on his faceplates.

"Wait, wait wait wait," I called, trying to reign it in. "Wait, he's fine, he's with me,"

She turned towards me, a blade in hand as she held it to my throat. Sideswipe began to protest, but I held up a servo to stop him. "And who are you?" she questioned me lowly. "I haven't seen any sign of an autobot since I awoke, only cons. How do I know you're not one of them?"

"My name is Ancora Prime," I stated firmly, flicking her blade away. "Bonded to Optimus Prime, widowed, denied."

Her blade subspaced, the femme smiling at me and offering a hand. "Ancora, it's an honor," she smiled. "I apologize, that was -"

"Just you protecting yourself," I smiled, taking her servo. "No need to apologize," I gestured behind me, where Sideswipe was laying on the ground. Again. "That's Sideswipe,"

"Gotta hand it to you, slick," the femme smiled, helping the bot up.

"My name's Windblade," she declared, moving back towards the downed con.

"My teammates and I are hunting decepticons, too," Sideswipe tried, myself following the new aerial plane. "We have a base nearby,"

I moved to grab the con, but Windblade beat me to it. She heaved, hoisting the con across her shoulderplates. "So I don't have to haul Fancy Claws all the way back home?" she smiled, moving towards Sideswipe. She heaved, tossing the con into the bot's open arms. "Show me the way, slick,"

I laughed, hanging back with her. "So what's your story, Windblade?" I questioned.

"Save it," she stated, looking up at me. "I'd rather only tell it once,"

I nodded.

* * *

"Looks like this team you've put together has a pretty high success rate," she complimented, taking in the stacks of stasis cells. "A mark of good leadership," she shot Bee a knowing smile, which sent him into an awkward, embarassed phase.

He scoffed, rubbing his shoulderplates. "Well, you know I had solid, raw materials to begin with," he said, Strongarm looking as if she was about to glitch. I stiffled a laugh, settling into my usual spot on the ground.

"If slick here is any indication, I'd say that's probably true,"

"'Slick?'" Strongarm mumbled, even after Sideswipe shoots her an egotistical grin. "Can we, jump right to the important questions here? Like, where did you come from? The High Council wouldn't send just one bot to back us up,"

"And they didn't, Skepti-bot," Windblade smiled, not missing a beat. _I like this femme._

"My name's Strongarm, not -"

"I was sent by Primus," she paused, looking at Strongarm's shocked faceplates. "Yeah, that Primus. On a mission of my own, thousands of years ago,"

"Wowsa," I grinned, scooting a little closer to her. "Care to enlighten us on that story?"

"Primus believed a terrible evil would one day focus on earth and threaten all life in this galaxy. He upgraded my tracking systems and sent me into stasis, ordering me to protect this world at all costs. When I awoke on the other side of this planet a month ago, I knew the evil Primus spoke of must be closing in. I've hunted down every con I've sensed since then, and when big, bad, whatever it is arrives, I'm going to hunt it down too,"

"That sounds a lot like the mission Optimus Prime gave to me," Bumblebee stated.

I groaned, kneading at my chest, before I spoke up. "And a lot like the mission the Primes gave to my Optimus," I finally muttered.

"Sounds like a team-up situation," Windblade smiled again.

"Can we!?" Sideswipe asked, and I barely caught the hopeful glance before he wiped it away. "I mean, uh, I think Windblade would be a great addition,"

Fixit rolled around me towards the new arrival with a grin on his face. Windblade twisted to peer around Bee with a smile. "You little spark-breaker," she cheered, halting the minicon in his tracks. "You look like the kind of organized minicon that would have a few maps,"

"Well, only the finest collection in this stellar quadrant," he smiled widely.

As we followed Fixit to the command center, I couldn't help but ask.

"If you were sent to protect earth from great evils … " I trailed off, looking more at the ground than the others. "Where were you at Darkmount? Or when Unicron threatened to wake?"

She paused, meeting my worried optics for a moment before I averted them again. "Maybe Primus knew you had it taken care of?" she offered.

I scoffed. "My Optimus did," I smiled, straightening slightly. "My Optimus knew of everything,"

"You're going to have to fill me in," she laid a servo on my shoulderplates. "I'm missing a few thousand years of history, maybe starting off at how you and your Optimus met?"

I smiled widely, Bee offering me a supporting glance.

Windblade left then, moving towards the map Fixit had pulled up.

"What's the matter with you?" I questioned him, stifling a laugh as he watched Windblade walk.

"Well, it's not everyday a new femme, a _flier_ femme, comes in that's not your sister,"

I scoffed.

"I sensed another decepticon signal in this quadrant," she reported, pointing. "And I have a funny feeling our mystery con will be tougher than my last playmate was."

Strongarm laughed, leaning back. "Fixit scanned that area, there's nothing there,"

"It's true, I've found no energy signals," he reported sadly.

"Oh, it's there," she assured. "I haven't been wrong yet. It's one of my best qualities," she shot Strongarm a sideways glance, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"That's cruel," I muttered to her, even as Strongarm started complaining to Bee. "Should I assist?"

We met optics for a second.

"Nah,"

She turned to Fixit.

"Have you bounced your frequency arc off the troposphere? It decreases short-ranged interference,"

"That is an excellent idea!" he apparently did so, pressing buttons beyond my understanding. "Found one!"

"Shall we mobilize, fearless leader?" Windblade smiled, hopping beside Bee.

"Well, we got no other plans,"

"Alright," she cheered, turning back to the team. "Let's crank our pistons and cross some distance,"

Sideswipe and Grimlock cheered, Bee looking at me defeated. I laughed, even as Windblade raised her optic ridges.

"Bumblebee struggles with battle crys," I explained to her.

"You'll find it," she assured him, touching his shoulder before moving on, myself walking right next to her.

* * *

" _Ancora, I need your help up top!_ "

I transformed at the sound of the comm, blasting high into the air. My paint glistened in the sun, the blue camo blending in with the afternoon's sky. I relished in it for a moment, before I caught sight of the target.

Windblade was flying beside one of the human's craft, not engaging, just simply flying beside it.

" _The humans,_ " she reported as I fell in line beside her. " _They're being mind controlled by something, they're not flying as they should!_ "

"Bee," I commed. "You and the others get to a runway. The humans are being controlled by something, we can't risk having them run into something!"

" _The others are already there,_ " Windblade offered. " _Hold on,_ " She dropped, leaving the plane to follow me. I allowed it, already leading the plane around in circles towards the runway.

When I finally lost the plane, and found the others, they were standing outside of a hangar, Strongarm and Windblade arguing. I transformed, landing with ease.

"Finally!" Strongarm looked relieved. "Can you please, Ancora Prime, tell Windblade _why_ we're preserving human life?"

"My Optimus was all about saving the humans," I stated, walking towards them. "He would never, ever, condone the loss of a single life. It was something I admired most about him."

"The loss of two human lives to save a planet is worthwhile," Windblade argued, looking more to Strongarm than to me. "Their lives are short anyways, what use are they?"

My processors froze.

Strongarm, Grimlock, and Sideswipe looked at me with a whole new feature across their faceplates.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Windblade," I stated slowly while transforming into my Optimus' mode. "I am bounded of the deceased Optimus Prime, leading a world where I did not originate from. I was homeless when I first met Optimus and his team, living day to day, searching in the _trash_ for my next meal, sleeping in a drainage pipe." I activated my holoform, directing it to climb out. My long black hair flowed behind me, my electric blue eyes shining brightly as jeans and a cut off exposed my curves. "And, I looked a little like this," I directed the holoform to say, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

She looked at me with wide optics.

"We work to take down cons while preserving _every_ human life," Strongarm finished her apparently earlier argument. "We don't take unnecessary risks like you were about to in there. And, my name is Strongarm,"

Bumblebee and Drift rolled up from the side, transforming as they got close. I deactivated mini self as I transformed, shooting a look to Windblade before turning to Bee.

"What'd you find, cadet," he questioned.

"I'll explain _after_ we move from this hangar, Lieutenant," Strongarm replied.

"Lead the way,"

"Fixit," Bee called through the comm.

" _Spark breaker here,_ " the minicon replied drowsily. I stifled a laugh, even before the shocked look on Bee's faceplates.

"Oy," he vented a sigh. "Do you have anything on a bee-like decepticon?"

" _Global rule would definitely match Zizza's previous MO._ " came the reply. " _While on Cybertron, she built an army of mind-controlled citizens and tried the same thing. She might have succeeded_ ," I scoffed. " _But her toxin wore off, before she could consolidate her power,_ "

"Is there more information on this toxin?" Drift questioned, speaking for the first time.

" _I'm not seeing anything on bile - vile , file!_ " he stammered. " _The only cure seems to be time,_ "

"Thanks Fixit, standby," Bee cut the com.

 _Wait …_

"Sir, I have an idea," Strongarm moved forward. "I've studied earth's Bees, and Zizza seems to behaving like a typical queen,"

"Just because Zizza looks like a bee doesn't mean she is one," Sideswipe argued.

"The planes protecting the decepticon are like drones protecting the hive. The mind controlled humans around her? She called them workers. Worker bees. Zizza even requires a hot environment to maximize her life functions,"

"Seriously Bee," Sideswipe argued again, and I had to swallow my laughter as I awaited my moment. "I'm not buying any of this bee stuff,"

"Hear her out, slick, she's onto something," Windblade silenced him, looking back to the cadet.

* * *

I soared high with Windblade, dodging the little planes and trying to herd them away. I tried not to laugh again as I caught sight of Bumblebee down below.

I saw Grimlock climbing atop one of the towers, swatting at the planes as they drove by, and I lost it.

"Bee!" I called over the comm. "Remember that movie we showed you, Kong!?"

" _I don't see how this is important right now,_ " he countered. " _But yeah,_ "

"Grimlock!"

I paused, before I was met with laughter flooding my comm.

I flew in a few more circles, really just showing off and practicing barrel rolls.

" _Guys, we have a problem,_ " Bee commed after a short while. I twisted, and saw just what he meant. The planes were headed for a new plane, which was headed straight for us.

"On it," I reported, already moving towards the planes.

I hearded one down by hovering above it and slowly pushing down. When I got back up, Sideswipe was … riding, Windblade?

He jumped from bot to plane, preparing to attack the tail.

"Careful, Sideswipe," I called. "Don't want them to lose control,"

"Have a little faith!" he argued, bending the tail.

He bounced from plane to plane, doing just that, bending the metals. It was a solid plan, and all planes headed down. Except the new one, which began to reroute itself. A storm was brewing ahead, and metal and storms don't mix.

"Good job, bots," I smiled. "Return to the ground,"

"Aww…." Sides groaned, before jumping onto my wings. I wavered a little, before I adjusted to the extra weight.

" _I have the decepticon in custody,_ " Strongarm reported. " _Backup requested, urgently!_ "

We redirected our course towards the transmission, finding Strongarm dangling from the bee very precariously.

"Backup has arrived!" Windblade announced. I transformed, throwing Sideswipe from my wings. He landed ontop of the bee, working his way around her. I hovered close by, firing at any open shot I had. Strongarm's grip failed, Windblade being right there to catch her.

"Unhand me, you ruffian!" Zizza growled, trying to shake Sides.

"Hey, Cara!" Sides called, grinning at me. "Ever tried to ride a bee?"

" _Cara,_ " Strongarm called. " _Zizza has to hit the snowflake,_ " I quickly located the vehicle in which she was referring to. " _I'm grabbing Sideswipe, can you catch us?_ "

I transformed, already diving as Windblade rounded around. "Gotcha,"

Strongarm jumped from Windblade, knocking Sideswipe off his perch. They tumbled to the ground, myself skidding dangerously close to the ground before catching them on my wings. Windblade flew right behind me, having knocked Zizza out of the air, tumbling right for the truck.

The impact was hard, and the bee staggered out, shaking for a minute before collapsing under the cold. Strongarm jumped from my wings before I landed, placing stasis cuffs on four of her … appendeges.

"Sweet collar, Strongarm," Sides complimented as I transformed beside Windblade. "How'd you know about the truck?"

"Every airport has a cold foam truck used by the fire and safety crew," she reported proudly. "And bees don't handle cold well,"

I heard Bee and the others walking towards us, and I grinned.

"Hey guys, wanna help me with something?"

As the others got closer, Sides, Strongarm and I hid behind the truck, our servos deep in the cold foam. My circuits argued this treatment, but it was worth it.

"Look, fearless leader," Windblade called, allowing Bumblebee to move closer. "Your cadet did a fine job," he stood directly in front of us, observing the downed con.

"Perfect. On three," I whispered. "One … two …"

"Three!" We jumped from behind, attacking Bee. He twisted, surprise etched into his faceplates, then chill as we scrubbed the foam in between his armour, touching his protoform and chilling his circuits. We bounced back off just as quickly, myself unable to control my laughter.

"What the frag was that for!?" he demanded angrily, already shaking from the cold.

I only laughed harder.

"Bees don't like cold!" I laughed, rolling a little extra on the ground.

He glared at me, only to start laughing beside me.


	22. Ghosts and Imposters

**If this chapter seems a little rushed, and jumpy, it is an I apologize. IF you know what's next in the series, you know why. Also, I am currently in the act of falling asleep. So if there's a big mess at the bottom, I apologize, I might fix it later.**

 **Thank you all for reading, it's the best part!**

 **Lizzzard**

* * *

"It does no good to dream of home when we are here. You must live in the moment, wherever you are,"

"Besides, earth is awesome!"

The burst of laughter that followed that statement rattled me from my recharge.

"Seriously, it's beautiful! There's so many things to do, places to see! Earth has mountains, it has canyons,"

"Acid wastes?"

 _Acid wastes?_

"Not that I know of,"

"There you go then,"

"You know what? There's no decepticon activity right now." _Knock on wood._ "I'm going to prove to you that earth has as much, if not more, to offer than Cybertron,"

"How?"

Groundbridge. That's how.

"Coordinates?"

"Cybertron!"

Laughter.

"Surprise us,"

"No!" I stood up, finally moving in the direction of the bots. I vented a sigh, rubbing at my optics desperately trying to remove the aggravation, but failing. "I don't understand, why we're arguing about earth, and we don't ask the earth native about how fun earth is," I grumbled, racking my brain for a moment. "Fixit, send us to DC,"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Bumblebee moved to stop us.

"Positive. Grimlock, climb on," I transformed, calling for my trailer from subspace. He did so, a cover going over him. I moved my metals a little, so Grim had plenty of viewing room. "Autobots, transform, and roll out!"

"I like hers the best," Sideswipe argued, yet still transformed beside the others.

"That's because that's Optimus'," Bee argued, falling in step behind me as we drove through the portal.

"Why are we here?" Strongarm questioned as we drove through the streets of a very crowded DC. We drove past the white house, myself clearing my throat.

"And here, folks, we have the White House. Built by the earlier presidents, the White house is the mansion in which all presidents reside in for their term. Even though, the current president, his house is worth more than this one,"

"Then why'd he move here?" Sideswipe argued.

"It's tradition," I seethed, driving past it. "Here, we have the Washington Monument," I paused, listening to their sounds of woa. "It was built to honor George Washington, the very first president of the United States. And across it, the Lincoln Memorial, to honor president Lincoln."

"I don't see how this is better than the Acid Wastes,"

"Fixit," I called through the comm as we exited the cities limits. "Trip to, the mountains,"

"The western region of Denny and Russell's home continent!" Bee cheered, transforming beside the rest of us. "One of my favorite places on earth!"

"Jasper isn't too far from here, Bee," I said with a soft smile. "You realize that, don't you?"

He looked at me with hopeful optics. "It's nice, huh?" he begged his teammates, gesturing forward.

Strongarm moved in that direction, taking in the open air. "If you like holes in the ground,"

"Oh, there's a lot more to this place than holes in the ground!" he argued.

"This isn't the mountains," I vented a sigh, walking forward. "But it's close enough!"

"Fixit," Bee called through the comms. "Tell me some fun facts about this awesome place!"

" _Let's see, uh, you're not far from the ghost town of Edmundsville,_ "

I gasped, turning to Bee statistically. He met my optics with the same excitement.

"A ghost town!? Cool," he demanded, requesting the coordinates and taking off. I followed after him, racing for all I was worth.

Sideswipe was fast, I'd give him that. But he'll never be Bee fast.

* * *

Boarded up windows and doors, creaky porches, and tumbleweeds bouncing across the dirt road between the two sides containing the buildings. I rumbled to a stop, downshifting in perfect condition, resting gently in the dirt. Straight ahead was a mine, that looked unstable as hell but still really freaking cool.

"Wow, it really is a ghost town," Bumblebee commented, leaning on my hood. I shook him off, transforming to tower above him.

"I do not understand," Slipstream questioned, looking around. "The town is populated by ghosts?"

"Sort of," Bee agreed.

I rolled my optics. "Back in the days of the Old West, towns like these were scattered across the dry lands, placed precariously once every couple hundred miles or so. Something like that. Anyway, due to frequent visitors of all kinds, many things happened."

"Brawls, stampedes, the Gold Rush, showdowns between outlaws and law enforcers, right here on the street!" I had to admit; Bumblebee looked like a child enacting his little story about cowboys. "Some humans believe that places like this still contain unworldly traces of those who lived through such times."

"As we are taught, the spirit of the warrior lives on long after he is gone," Drift agreed, his minicons twisting to look at him.

Slipstream chuckled nervously. "But, what is a ghost?"

"Ooh!" Grimlock raised his servo in the air. "I know this from the scary movies I've watched with Russell!" he cleared his throat, and for a moment I was honestly prepared for the dictionary definition of a ghost. "A ghost," he began in a lower, more serious voice. "Is invisible and mean, and likes to frighten humans,"

The two minicons vented deeply, scurrying further behind Drift's pedes.

"Humans may show fear, but not warriors," he scolded them quickly.

"That was not fear, master," Slipstream reasoned with him.

"It was a small tactical retreat to achieve battle readiness," Jetstorm added, looking up hopefully.

Drift was silent for a moment, and I puzzled to figure out his next move.

"Boo,"

The minicons gasped, Slipstream jumping into the arms of his brother. I laughed, kneeling beside them.

"Ghosts tend to be mean in scary movies, but in other legends, that isn't the case," I smiled gently, offering a servo to them. They looked at it questioningly, before to Drift. "Just hop on. My legs are longer than yours," They grinned, climbing up my arm without a care in the world. They perched themselves on each shoulder, kicking at my metals content.

I already moved around the buildings, even as Bee gave an order to explore.

"What's that?" Jetstorm asked, grabbing ahold of my helm as he pointed to the side.

"That's a water tower," I grinned, scanning the struts of the tower before moving towards it. "That's where the locals got their water supply. Climb to the top and check it out,"

They graciously moved off my shoulder onto the structure, climbing high. They peered inside the bowl, even climbing in it. Slipstream poked his helm out the top, looking around.

"The view is unimaginable, Jetstorm," he called for his brother, who soon after stuck his head out of the bowl.

" _Cara,_ " Bee called. " _Tourists twelve o'clock. We're scaring them._ "

"Excellent," I called, climbing the building next to the water tower. "Stay low boys, and make some eery noises. We're the ghosts right now,"

Sure enough, there was a bus. The humans piled out, fanning out but never going too far from the bus.

"Here we are, folks, Edmunds Ville. One of the last true ghost towns of the wild, wild west." a girl who looked no older than a teenager said dryly, pointing to the buildings. "Back in its heydey, this dusty old street was filled with cowpokes, gamblers, miners and outlaws."

Grimlock chuckled below. "Bee could do that human's job no problem," he smiled.

I agreed.

"Yet, today, Edmunds View is completely empty. … Or is it? Many legends surround this old town. Take the old mine, for instance. Folks say you can still hear the clinking of pickaxes, and the laughter of old miners, long gone. That old train hasn't run in more than 100 years, but yet sometimes at midnight, its whistle can be heard from miles around."

The wind picked up, sending the doors to the bar swinging. The humans watched it curiously, most of them moving to bustle around the joint.

Sideswipe moaned from the graveyard, shaking one of the headstones drastically. I felt bad for half a second, before I thought about the joy some guy is having in heaven, so I let it go. Strongarm, hidden behind the train, started imitating a train horn, the humans freaking out over that too. It took everything in my power not to burst out laughing, myself choosing to stay frozen in the spot I was in.

The humans backed further into the town, away from their bus. Bee started pushing on the star, shoving it down to the ground. The humans paused for a second.

"Tour guide gets to safety first!" the girl yelled out, booking it for the bus. THe others followed closely behind, even as she still was yelling. "That's the rule! Excuse me! Move it!"

The tires squealed as the bus drove away, Grimlock, Sideswipe and Strongarm emerging from their hideouts as Bee hopped to the ground. I stuck my arm out for the minicons to climb onto, even as the others started laughing.

"Okay, I have to admit," Sides grinned. "Hiding and scaring those tourists, that was fun,"

I grinned triumphantly, before someone else booing rumbled from the alley. Drift charged through, and honestly would be terrifying if I didn't know who, or _what_ , he was. He had a sheet draped over his helm, covering most of his frame except for a little bit of his blades that hung out the back, like a little tail.

Sideswipe moved to intercept him, grabbing a hold of his shoulder.

"They're gone, oh spooky one,"

The others laughed as Drift tugged the sheet off, looking confused and kind of disappointed.

"You were an excellent ghost, master," Slipstream offered with a slight smile.

They both giggled, before Jetstorm took a turn. "Your noises were most terrifying,"

They snickered again, before falling serious with a single look from the bot.

"When I came to tell you the humans were coming, you said we weren't alone," Grimlock pointed out, drawing my attention to him and Bee. "But you weren't talking about them, were you?"

"When I was walking around town, I sensed someone - or something - watching me," he explained. "And whatever it was, it didn't feel friendly."

"Uh," Slipstream shuttered, climbing onto my arm despite the look he was getting from Drift. "Then perhaps we should depart?"

Drift grunted in annoyance, Jetstorm chuckling nervously.

"Briefly, to uh, consider our options,"

"We can't," I argued, moving forward. "Human tourists, apparently, visit this town frequently."

"If there's danger here … " Bee trailed off.

"Leaving before eliminating that threat would be dishonorable," Drift finished for him, making direct optic contact with the minicons.

We split up, the minicons and myself moving off on our own, the others dividing as they deemed fit. The two quickly abandoned my hold and were walking around me, looking for any signs of life other than ourselves.

We wandered in and out of buildings. Houses, a few barn like things, but my favorite was the bank. There was just a single desk and chair in front of an open safe, a space behind even that that must've been where the teller would sleep. I couldn't think of any other reason it'd be back there.

We checked out the safe just for shits and giggles, but something shoved against my back. I fell forward into the safe, successfully trapping the three of us in. The door slammed behind us, the lock twisting to keep us in.

"Ghosts!" one of them yelled after we were emerged in darkness. I wasn't convinced, but I was confuzzled. How do you escape something not meant to be broken?

"Stay close," I ordered, feeling around the walls. I heard more than felt them climbing on me again, so I paused to allow them to settle themselves back on my shoulderplates.

The walls were strong, thick, as expected. I felt the door, walked straight back into the back of the safe. I knocked on it a little.

"What do you think this is made of?" I questioned, not expecting an answer.

"I do not have the slightest idea," the one on my left chuckled nervously, clinging to me tightly.

"Well," I shrugged. "Hope it doesn't agree with blaster fire," I transformed my servo into my blaster, firing. The walls crumbled, the explosion taking the wall with it. I grinned, ducking out, readjusting my optics to the light. "If this ever happens again, just remember. You can always make your own back door," they grinned at me, before I trudged along.

I started seeing the rest of the team moving towards the road again, so I moved in their direction.

"You were correct, Bumblebee," Drift reported. "Something is here,"

"Yeah," Grimlock agreed shakily behind Bee. "Ghosts!"

The minicons gulped loudly, clinging tighter onto my armour.

"I'm not so sure," I reasoned, looking to Bee. "Something shoved me earlier. Ghosts don't do that,"

"Yeah they do," Grimlock argued.

"Fixit," Bee called over his comm. "Are there any decepticons who can make themselves invisible?"

"This is a ghost town and a decepticon town?" Strongarm questioned.

" _I've found one decepticon matching your criteria, sir,_ " came the reply not long after. " _He can do more than make himself disappear. His name is Pseudo. He was Cybertron's sneakiest shy - fly, spy! Arrested for selling Cybertronian secrets to off - world enemies,_ "

"So … he does go invisible?" I questioned, all of us gathered around Bee to listen.

" _No. He's a shifter. Pseudo can change his appearance and even his actual physical structure to blend in with any environment._ "

"Thanks, Fixit," Bumblebee signed off, turning to look at the lot of us.

"So you think this has all been Pseudo?" Strongarm raised an optic ridge. "Scaring us the same way we did the human tourists?"

"Yeap, I knew it all along," Grimlock smiled widely, myself snapping my servo over my mouth to keep from laughing too hard.

"I think I know how to find this con," Bumblebee smiled. "Reset your optics to detect his heat signature,"

* * *

A few moments later, we were all meeting back in the middle of the road. I was in my Optimus' mode, the minicons back with Drift. We had split up, searching every millimeter of this small town, searching for the decepticons heat signature, however we couldn't find anything.

Bumblebee vented a sigh as I transformed, moving to stand beside him.

"Nobody found anything?" he questioned. I turned to face the others, before freezing. _Is there …_ "Then … wait a minute,"

Bee saw it too.

"Two Drifts?" I questioned, looking between the two of them.

Sideswipe, Strongarm and Grimlock transformed, backing up slightly to take in the two identical vehicles resting peacefully beside each other.

"One Drift, one Pseudo," Bee smiled. "And, one way to tell them apart. Drift, transform,"

They both transformed, their movements identical.

"Nice," I muttered to Bee, before stepping apart is; Drift, release the minicons,"

The one on the left side of us raised his servos in the air, releasing the two minicons onto the ground before him. They both stood defensively, throwing punches at the air.

The other Drift looked around for a moment, before transforming and gunning it away from us. He drove away, knocking Sideswipe down in the process, Bumblebee and myself running after him.

"Come on!" Bee yelled as I transformed, quickly shifting up into the higher gears. "If we lose him now we may never find him again!"

I had a head start, but soon enough I had an Urbana and Corvette right behind me. The others weren't too far behind them. I jumped a rock, landing in the mine and throwing my lights on as my tires hit, barely fitting under the roof. My lights illuminated a couple curves in the road, the options he could've taken too great.

"Split up," I ordered, continuing forward. The others branched off, each going in their own tunnel.

A few moments of silence, before a comm came through.

" _Any bot have optics on Pseudo?_ " Bee.

" _Nope._ "

" _Nada._ "

" _Not here,_ "

" _No,_ "

"Zilch,"

" _Bee team, transform to bot mode for more maneuverability and quicker reaction time,_ "

I grinned, following my little brother's orders. He was turning out to be a fine bot.

My tunnel eventually came to an end, all the others in the same middle room as I was. We were all facing a wall, where Grimlock stood nervously, watching us all.

Only problem was Grimlock was also standing beside me.

"Hey guys," the one by the wall chuckled nervously. "What're you looking at?"

"That's not me! I'm handsome-er!" the one by me defended himself, pointing.

"No! That's not me!"

We backed away again, taking in the two of them as they did the same.

"How can we be sure?" Drift muttered to Bee and I.

"We can ask them something only Grimlock could know," Bee grinned.

The two in questioned watched us nervously.

"I got it," I smiled. "What is Grimlock's favorite thing about Cybertron's Acid Wastes?"

The one on the left thought about it, while the other jumped up and down, raising his servo high in the air.

"Uh. … " Lefty chuckled nervously. "Who'd want to hang out in the Acid Wastes?"

"Ah ha!" the real Grim cheered as we all charged. He quickly changed from autobot to autobot, dodging out blows before he landed on his pedes a few feet away from us, an exact copy of me.

"I thought it was a trick question," fake me shrugged, looking content.

"You're out of moves, decepticon," Bee cheered, our pack stalking forward.

"You sure?" he questioned, charging us. I prepared to strike back, but at the last moment he morphed into Sideswipe, soaring over the competition. He charged down another tunnel, myself already chasing after him.

"I look good when I do that, don't ;t." Sideswipe grinned, earning him a whack on the chest plates from Strongarm. We followed the con again, this time leading us back into the wide open.

Off in the distance, there was an old training tugging along the track in front of the even older train. The only thing was, the older train was sitting directly behind them.

"It's Pseudo!" I announced, already gunning it for him.

" _We're gaining on him!_ " Bee announced as both he and Sideswipe zoomed past me. I mean, it's not like I was going fast. - er than I used to. We drove for a while, before we came to a stop we could no longer follow. I went to transform, but Bee stopped me.

"Drift, could you," he pointed to his forearms, where two minicons stoof currently.

"Assist Bumblebee." Vame the disava.

Bee turned to Grimlock with a smile. "Think you could get them there?"

"Does a cat have whiskers that shoot lightning?"

I rolled my optics, watching in odd satisfaction as Grimlock tossed both minicons gently in the air.

"If I may ask," Slipstream muttered. "How do you plan on getting us there?"

Grim grinned, and I cringed. He flung em high in the air, before twisting, hitting them _way_ out of the park.

"Going … Groing … " Bee muttered with a grin. We watched where the minicons landed, a few ways in front of the train, destroying that sector of the track. He slammed on his brakes, skidding to a halt right there.

When the con transformed, we were right there, waiting.

* * *

"I didn't change any of your guys' minds about earth, did I?"

"There's lots of cool things about it,"

"Lots of free terrain for free running."

"New rules to learn. Rules are always fun,"

"Ooh! And I love earth movies!"

I groaned, raising an optic ridge at the dinobot as I recalled the many times he's been afraid of a kitten.

"Earth is where we've tested our mettle," Slipstream argued.

"And made good friends," Jetstorm smiled at me.

"And more than able colleagues,"

"I'm glad earth means a lot to you guys," I smiled. "I love this place. I want everyone too, as well."

"What's it to you, Cara?" Jetstorm asked.

I paused, offlining my optics and feeling the wind sneak into my armour and onto my protoform. I thought of my Optimus, thinking of him being with me, watching the sunset.

"Home,"


	23. Battlegrounds, pt 1

I watched from above as Sideswipe jumped over and ducked under various obstacles in his path. He was doing great, not his best, but great. He hadn't slowed in sometime, but unknown to him, his perpetrator was catching up.

I laughed a little to myself, finding it very interesting that both Strongarm and Sideswipe kept the tagging amongst each other, seemingly forgotten that I'd joined the game as well. The game was a very good teaching method, as well as a good training session. Lots of running, quick thinking, and strategizing, practicing both defense and offense.

Strongarm gained on the red speed demon, and it was tempting to call out a warning, but that'd give it away.

"Tag!" With a hard shove, Sideswipe was pushed to the side, crashing into a pile of boulders, probably denting his armour at the sound of his metal. "You're it! A little more work on your free-running, and you'll be able to stay ahead of even the best trained tracker," Strongarm finished, offering the downed mech a servo.

"I don't know if you've noticed," Sideswipe argued back, slapping the servo out of the way. "But Cara is _still_ missing." He pushed his servos by his helm, flipping up into an upright position, getting right in the cadet's face. "And what? I'm not yet skilled enough to outrun the cadet Strongarm?"

"That's not what I -"

"Tag!" Sideswipe smacked her shoulderplates, quickly running away. "Let's see you catch me this time!"

Strongarm vented a sigh, checking her surroundings before running back in the direction he left. "Sideswipe! Don't run angry!"

I followed behind her, silently bouncing between trees. I let her run off, before I caught up to her. I was expecting Sideswipe to be with her, but he wasn't. She was slowly pushing forward through a row of bushes.

I dropped next to her, scaring the shit out of her, yet she kept silent. She narrowed her optic ridges at me, before shoving a few brushes out of the way.

"Cadet Strongarm!" a voice cheered. I moved in so I could see, freezing at the sight. "Oh, and Ancora Prime! Ain't this a surprise!"

Underbite looked up from a downed Sideswipe, Thunderhoof watching the two of us with his servos on his hips. I moved to transform my servos, however Underbite cleared his throat, bending down to Sides again. I grumbled, my stance still defensive.

"We was just out shopping for parts, but it looks like we'll be going home with a whole lot more," Thunderhoof grinned, nodding to something behind us. I quickly somersaulted out of the way, ending up facing the way I just came, watching as Strongarm sprinted away.

"She's mine," Underbite cheered, taking off after her.

"Strongarm!" I hollered, jumping to my pedes to run after her.

"Ancora!" I paused at the sound of a blaster warming up. I turned, seeing Thunderhoof holding a blaster to Sideswipe's helm. I sagged, feeling my spark sink. "That's right, come on over, sweetspark," I moved towards him, watching carefully as he reached to his subspace with his free servo. He produced a pair of stasis cuffs, tossing them to me. "Be a good Prime, put them on. No funny business, or red here gets hurt,"

I had no choice but to comply. I placed the cuffs around my servos, holding them behind me. Thunderhoof placed his blaster away, the danger of me now gone. He hoisted Sides over his shoulderplates, grabbing my elbow and leading me towards the destruction of a pursuing Underbite. When we got there, Strongarm was out cold, lying on the ground.

"Let's put these sleeping beauties on ice before they start getting mouthy," Thunderhoof announced. The two minicons below dragged Strongarm through the forest, Fracture taking over directing me to follow behind the others.

"What, I don't get the special sleeping treatment?" I muttered, pushing against the con.

"If you so insist," Underbite grinned, before my world started spinning.

* * *

 _Bulkhead swerved slightly, my body jerking up._

" _I'm awake!" I called, sitting up despite the force in my chest advising against it._

 _Bulkhead chuckled beneath me. "Relax, Cara." he told me. "I'm picking up a signal."_

 _I glanced at his dash, confirming that he was, in fact, locating a signal. "We should tell Optimus," I groaned. "I guess we can go mudding some other time…."_

" _Definitely," he confirmed, and I could almost see his smirk. "Bulkhead to base. We've picked up a strong reading - permission to check it out?"_

"As long as you watch over Cara carefully _," my bot's voice thundered through. He was with Agent Fowler, who had a meeting with 'Uncle Sam,' as he explained. I was forbidden to accompany, which led to Bulkhead's offer to keep my company._

 _Bulk turned, ramping the edge of the road and onto the open plains of grass. He zagged through trees, dirt clouding my vision and covering the green paint job. I laughed opening, raising my hands up as we traveled. He skidded to a stop, transforming around me._

"That _is what mudding is like," I explained, panting heavily. "Only with less control!"_

 _He smiled slightly, walking towards a crater in the ground. Peering over it, we were met with a massive hole in the ground._

" _It looks like one of Airachnid's burrows," I pointed out._

" _No sign of activity," he answered, throwing himself over the ledge, beginning his descent into the depth's. "You're not scared of the dark, are you?" He cocked his optics to mine._

 _I laughed. "You kidding? I lived on the streets, buddy. I live in the dark,"_

 _As he neared the bottom, I peered over his frame. I noticed a familiar neon blue glow illuminating the flooring. "Energon?"_

 _Bulkhead paused, looking over himself. "Boxed and ready for pickup?"_

 _The humms of a massive engine shook the walls, Bulkhead and I looking up as a darkness overshadowed us. "Scrap!" I called as he sped up his pace. A rock beneath him gave, his body falling slightly. He reached up, latching ahold of another rock before he could plummet. "Cara," he called, encasing me with his free hand. The ledge gave out, the bot falling into the masses of energon. My body bounced up, my head connecting with the metals of his servo, hard. My vision blurred, before blacking out._

* * *

I woke up to something, or someone, screaming in pain. My helm hurt, my vision still kind of unfocused, but my audios were still picking up. I froze, not moving a strut as I listened.

"Somebody, make it stop!" the voice, laced with pain, screamed again.

"Enough. Enough!" _Steeljaw._ There was quite a moments of silence, before he answered in a low, almost sarcastic tone. "We're in a steel mill. That should be more than enough mass for whatever you're talking about,"

Silence again.

As I was straining my audios, a massive pain tore at my spark. It wasn't like the pain from my Optimus it was … my, Optimus? My Optimus. He was in pain, he _is_ in pain, he's. … hurting? The pain burned through my systems, frying my circuits and overloading my motherboard. I tried to fight it, to hold still, yet something didn't -

"What the _fuck!_ "

I vented roughly, fighting the bonds around my wrists. I bent forward, trying, anyway possible, to be rid of the pain in my frame. I felt servos on my armour, pushing me back, but I couldn't move. I tried to focus on the location of the pain, feeling it in my spark, but not on my half of the spark. My Optimus was seeking help. He was fighting … something. Something that was very painful.

I pushed all of the love and adoration I had for him through the bond we share. His end usually closed off, I welcomed the fact that he could receive what I was sending him. I convinced his systems to relax, to uncurl, to do whatever it was they are doing. I sent him the feeling of content, the love and devotion I have for him. Images of his fixed and healed planet, of the adventures I'd had here on earth. Every little thing, I sent to him.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the pain subsided. I vented an easy sigh, allowing my systems to cool, and repair on their own. I looked back up, Steeljaw grinning at me widely.

"Come on," he grinned. I shook my helm, looking behind him. Thunderhoof had Strongarm, and Clampdown had Sideswipe, the two kids still knocked out cold. "We're going on a trip," he yanked on my arm, hauling me to my pedes and shoving me out the door.

I struggled against him, fighting, until I heard the sound of a familiar engine. Underbite appeared, looking rather defeated, before lobbing a piece of metal in the air, connecting with the red plane flying above. It transformed, crashing to the ground, the party of us walking towards her. I noticed that the pain hadn't returned, and the emptiness I hadn't felt in ages, is now gone, replaced with the feeling of my Optimus…

"Excellent throw, Underbite," Steeljaw applauded. I struggled against him, before looking at the downed autobot.

 _Windblade._

She didn't look too upset. She looked up and met my optics, Strongarm and Sides being carried by the two cons. Steeljaw gripped my arm tighter, pulling me away.

"Secure our new captive and bring her along," he ordered, almost smugly. "One can never have _too_ much leverage."

"You're not going to win, Steeljaw." I threatened him lowly, even as he began our move to whatever location. I could hear Windblade fighting behind me, though I knew she was losing. I was beginning to worry about Strongarm and Sideswipe, as far as I was aware, they hadn't woke yet. It could be something wrong with their systems, I didn't want to delay their repairs any longer. "Bumblebee will come for us. For me,"

"I have no doubt," the con grinned. "That's why I sent Fracture after your minicon. With the team occupied, who's there to protect him and those pesky little humans?"

* * *

"What's going on?" Windblade questioned, even as the two of us struggled against the rope that held us to the statue just outside of Crown City.

"I'm not sure," I answered. "I awoke in the middle of Steeljaw discussing it … Could this be the threat Primus spoke to you about?"

"My spark told me to come here today," she shrugged. "Though being captured wasn't apart of the final battle plans,"

My spark twinged in pain, though it wasn't the terrible pain like earlier. It was an .. impatient pain. It's like my Optimus was on earth .. the pain was great, but it was impatiently waiting for something to happen.

* * *

 _Smokescreen transformed, myself already almost crawling into the pipe that was once my home. He kneeled down next to it, peering through. "You_ lived _here?"_

" _Was homelessness not a problem on Cybertron?" I called over my shoulder, looking into the darkness of the pipe._

" _What happened?"_

" _Well, my parents weren't the best… I don't really remember much.. But I was put into Foster Care -"_

" _What's that?"_

" _It's where the government puts kids when they don't have a home. My foster parents were terrible, and when I aged out of the system… I was dropped onto the streets."_

" _Wow…" Smokescreen peered around. "I never knew…"_

" _That being a human sucked?" I laughed, turning to face him with light eyes._

 _He cracked a smile, before bowing his head again. "So.. why'd you bring me here?"_

" _Because, Smoke," I cheered, holding a hand out and cupping his face. "If it wasn't for this terrible,_ terrible _event in my life. …. I wouldn't have met the bots," I smiled, remembering the day. "Bumblebee and Arcee had brought two vehicon warriors down here and were battling them, with Jack and Raf terrified. I brought them to my pipe where we escaped out the other end. Then Optimus decided he needed us back there, and that's when we picked up Miko," I sighed. "Bad things happen, Smokescreen. You fail, you get hurt, you wind up on the streets. But you_ learn _from your mistakes. I learned to drive trucks, cars, all of them. I learned how to bargain, and I developed the ability to defend myself and those that I love."_

" _Yeah," he scoffed. "I've seen you out there… you can fight with the best of us,"_

 _I smirked proudly. "Honorary Wrecker, right beside Miko," I bragged._

 _He laughed, transforming and popping his door open. "What'd you do to get that honor?"_

" _When Bulkhead got hurt, Wheeljack and I went to exact revenge, if you will. When had already left the base, Miko had hitched a ride and demanded to tag along."_

"You _were the one to take out Hardshell?" He sounded amazed as he took off towards base._

" _No," I smiled. "That was Miko,"_

 _Smokescreen fell silent, and with a slight movement I turned to his mirror. "We've got incoming," he told me as the con started firing shots at us._

" _Evasive maneuvers!" I called._

 _A shot hit Smoke, he transformed. I fell from his form, his servos grabbing for me before I could hit the ground. His steps wavered for a moment, before he settled himself, hugging me close. He stared as the small bird thing flew past us. "You picked the wrong day to mess with me, con," he called after it, moving one hand and transforming it into a blaster._

 _Something hit him from behind, and he was thrown to the ground. I curled into him, bracing myself for impact. Surprisingly, he was able to keep his hold on me as he fell unconscious. I pried myself from his servo, falling onto the ground. Peering around his armor, I saw Soundwave standing by the edge of the road, dark as always. I dived behind a nearby rock, hiding myself as much as possible from view._

 _Behind Soundwave, a ground bridge opened. I peered around it slightly, the con slowly and calmly making his way over to us. I stopped my breathing, watching the bots scanned the area, weapons drawn._

 _A new ground bridge opened, next to me. I stared at it, wondering who would come through, when I felt large fingers encase around me. I struggled instantly as I was pulled from the ground, high into the air. "Optimus!" I called for my bot, as I looked into the visor of the con who had me in his grasp. "Smokescreen!"_

" _Carabelle!"_

 _I struggled to free a knife from my leg, sighing in relief as it pulled free from it's hold. Wiggling my arm free, I stabbed it, hard, into the servo that held me. The pressure around me let go, and I was falling -_

 _\- into a black servo as the ground bridge closed in front of me._

 _I looked up into Optimus' optics, which were scanning me quickly. "Thank you…" I panted, dropping to my knees. The ache in my spark eased, and I smiled up at him._

" _Optimus, Smokescreen…" Arcee called._

 _The five of were silent for a while. "_ Well…" _Bumblebee buzzed. "_ Now what _?"_

* * *

" _Carabelle!_ "

I was shocked online, looking around the statue. Windblade watched me curiously, and I wondered if she'd heard the voice too.

" _Carabelle, respond!_ "

"What is it?" the femme next to me questioned.

"I hear. … my Optimus,"

" _Optimus Prime to Ancora Prime. Respond,_ now!"

I struggled, my servos still bond behind me with the stasis cuffs. I wiggled my shoulder plates a little, freeing them inch by inch from the rope. When it got enough, I tilted my helm to the side, pressing my comm against the shoulder, activating it.

"Ancora Prime," I responded.

" _Thank the allspark,_ " came the mutter. " _Are you injured?_ "

"Am I … " I froze, my spark freezing the same. "O-Optimus? … are… Are you…"

" _I'm on my way._ "

Sideswipe groaned on the other side of Windblade. We were still all trapped to the statue, but at least they were waking up now. It was a pleasant distraction from the loud, racing spark in my chestplates.

"Hey, Windblade," Sides muttered. "What're you doing here?"

"Same as you, Slick."

"Strongarm, you okay?" I called to her, watching as her optics slowly onlined.

"Other than the constant ringing in my audio receptors?" she muttered, tilting her helm slightly to look at me. "Yeah, I'm fine,"

"Any idea what the decepti-bums are up to?" Windblade asked, watching those below us carefully.

"No clue, but I'm betting it isn't a charity event,"

"Don't worry," I smiled, leaning my helm back against the statue. "My Optimus is coming,"

Before they could respond with anything other than blank stares, something below us started crackling. There was strings of electricity moving around it, before traveling up and into the statue.

Through us.

I fought it as the others near me voiced their pain. I struggled, groaning more than yelling, as my circuits fried and overloaded.

"Autobots!" I onlined my optics, fighting off the pain to view the decepticons below. "Underbite, Thunderhoof. Deal with them while we finish the arch,"

"Fine," Thunderhoof grumbled, walking away. "I'd rather bash autobots than deal with whatever this is anyway."

Underbite devoured some metal, his frame glowing as the extra energy built him up more. I focused on the bridge, where Drift and Bumblebee were headed our way.

The two of them transformed, dealing with a decepticon each. Bumblebee wrestled with Thunderhoof, Drift facing off with Underbite. Just as I was wondering where the dinobot was, he appeared from under the water.

"Anybody home?" he questioned, analyzing the playing field.

"Grimlock, destroy the arch!"

 _Yes._ I groaned as my circuits protested. Just as he started to move towards us, however, Clampdown grabbed ahold of his pede. Steeljaw was able to place a final piece onto the arch, it firing more electricity through our circuits.

A .. space bridge? Opened below us. I couldn't tell who it was for, or what it was for, but I could see everyone pausing to watch it.

"Cara!"

I looked down, seeing red and blue. He was taller, his metals changed. His faceplates were scrunched in fury, glaring at whatever was coming through the bridge.

"By the power of the Primes, I will end this threat before it begins," He pulled a weapon from his back, it transforming to look something much like the star saber. He ran forward, letting out a ferocious cry before slicing against the arch. There was an explosion, the electricity stopping and the bots being knocked away from the base of the statue.

When the smoke settled, Optimus Prime, my Optimus, was kneeling, shaking the aftereffects of the explosion off. I watched him carefully, his optics bouncing to mine quickly before glaring at the base of the now destroyed arch carefully. His armour was larger than even before, his shoulder plates wide and powerful. His energon produced an even blue glow amongst his frame, and it looked like he could care for anything. My spark sang in happiness, having my Optimus on this earth, but fought against me, against the bonds, against the distance still in between us. My spark wanted to merge with his, and _now._

"It .. cannot be,"

The pure terror in his voice calmed my spark a little, the Prime in me reasoning with it. There was a threat on this earth, the threat we had been preparing for all this time. The threat, that had my Optimus scared. I felt it.

"But it is," a new voice called from below me. It was deep, sounding much like that of Megatron's, but it had a different … insanity to it. "At long last, Megatronus stands triumphant!"


	24. Battlegrounds, pt 2

" _Grimlock, destroy the arch!"_

Yes _. I groaned as my circuits protested. Just as he started to move towards us, however, Clampdown grabbed ahold of his pede. Steeljaw was able to place a final piece onto the arch, it firing more electricity through our circuits._

 _A .. space bridge? Opened below us. I couldn't tell who it was for, or what it was for, but I could see everyone pausing to watch it._

" _Cara!"_

 _I looked down, seeing red and blue. He was taller, his metals changed. His faceplates were scrunched in fury, glaring at whatever was coming through the bridge._

" _By the power of the Primes, I will end this threat before it begins," He pulled a weapon from his back, it transforming to look something much like the star saber. He ran forward, letting out a ferocious cry before slicing against the arch. There was an explosion, the electricity stopping and the bots being knocked away from the base of the statue._

 _When the smoke settled, Optimus Prime, my Optimus, was kneeling, shaking the aftereffects of the explosion off. I watched him carefully, his optics bouncing to mine quickly before glaring at the base of the now destroyed arch carefully. His armour was larger than even before, his shoulder plates wide and powerful. His energon produced an even blue glow amongst his frame, and it looked like he could care for anything. My spark sang in happiness, having my Optimus on this earth, but fought against me, against the bonds, against the distance still in between us. My spark wanted to merge with his, and now._

" _It .. cannot be,"_

 _The pure terror in his voice calmed my spark a little, the Prime in me reasoning with it. There was a threat on this earth, the threat we had been preparing for all this time. The threat, that had my Optimus scared. I felt it._

" _But it is," a new voice called from below me. It was deep, sounding much like that of Megatron's, but it had a different … insanity to it. "At long last, Megatronus stands triumphant!"_

* * *

The con below twisted to take in the captives above him. I cringed a little, meeting his optics.

I quickly shook it out, looking to my Optimus. He was shaking his helm, looking around himself as the others stood.

"We need to attack, now!" Bee sheathed his mask, lowering into a defensive stance.

"I agree," Drift himself lowered, glaring forward.

"Bumblebee!" my Optimus called, stopping the yellow bot in his tracks. "Free your teammates and my Cara! I shall contend with Megatronus,"

Bee met my optics, and I smiled at him nervously. He looked at us, the three beside me groaning in the aftershocks of the surges we received earlier. My circuits were still fried, but I assumed that adrenaline kicked in … or, whatever the bot's equivalent is. My Optimus was here, my -

"But Optimus, my team can -"

"Go, Bumblebee," Optimus ordered again, his voice strict and firm.

Bee noticed it. He unsheathed his mask, straightening a little. "Yes, sir." He moved towards the side of the tower, a surprised Drift following closely behind him.

"You could free a million autobots," the decepticon below chanted. "None will be able to stop me,"

"I can stop you Megatronus," my Optimus challenged. "And I shall!" his sword started glowing again, shooting a beam for the con. I guess he reflected it, because the same beam headed for Bumblebee and Drift next, hitting them and knocking them out. They fell onto their backs, groaning from the shock. "Bumblebee!"

I struggled in my cuffs as I watched Optimus run for the downed bots.

"It seems the only thing you 'shall do,' is help me destroy your underlings," the decepticon reached a hand out, and in some twisted _Star Wars_ manner, Optimus hovered in the air for a moment, kicking and protesting. He flew above me, something I wasn't too happy about, before he slammed back down, landing on his chestplates.

"Stop it!" I cried out desperately. "Leave him alone, you fucking coward!"

"What strong words for a femme," he sneered, glaring up at me. He reached a servo towards me, this time I felt the weird force thing. It pulled me free of the rope, myself struggled against the pull and against the cuffs around my wrists still. I floated towards the con, him grinning at me as I struggled desperately against him. "What other words can you muster?"

I searched my systems for a substance that I could use for the human reaction I wanted to perform. When I finally found one, I directed it to pool into my glossa before I spat it all back at him. He retched in disgust, dropping me from whatever hold he had. I yelled when I landed, my arm pinned underneath my weight. He growled lowly, a being landing directly beside me. I twisted slightly, meeting the optics of my Optimus. He searched mine carefully, before turning back to the con above us, who was sneering at the both of us.

"Both earth and Cybertron played a role in my humiliating exile, and both shall now pay," he casually stepped on Optimus, stopping his attempts to get up. I struggled more in the cuffs, trying to find _something_ that could release their hold on me. "But you will have the honor of being the first to fall," he transformed his servo into a drill, diving straight for Optimus' helm.

"No!" I gasped, watching as my bot caught the drill in his servos, struggling under his weight to push it away from him. I moved slightly, the plan forming itself as I put it into action. I twisted onto my back, kicking up with my legs, still bound together, knocking the con away from my Optimus.

I heard Grimlock roar, and I assumed that he was taking care of him for me. The generous bot.

"Optimus," I vented, twisting back onto my back struts.

My bot sat up, shaking his helm before turning to me. He grasped at the ropes around my ankles, tearing them to shreds in seconds. He helped me sit up, pulling a blaster from his hip, shooting at the stasis cuffs between my servos. They fell from me, Optimus already grasping a servo and hoisting me up.

"Cara," he acknowledged.

We didn't get much of a second, before we both turned to Megatronus. Jetstorm and Slipstream were staring defiantly up at him, even as the con warmed his blaster up.

"Up you get," he smirked, offering a servo low, not taking his optics of the con.

I smiled, stepping into his servo and turning towards my target. He lifted me in the air, myself leaping as he threw, landing directly in front of the con, the minicons behind me.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to tend to Drift, boys," I called behind me as Optimus pulled his sword from its hold, Megatronus turning to face him.

"Cara!" Optimus called while the two glared each other down. "Attend to Bumblebee,"

"But - "

They had already started fighting, Optimus and Megatronus throwing themselves at each other, brute against brute.

This wasn't a place for me.

I looked up to see Strongarm, Windblade and Sideswipe watching me carefully. Bumblebee, Grimlock, and Drift were already being helped by the twins. The two up top needed me more.

I began a slow climb up the side of the statue, listening to my bot clash with the one below.

"Hey Cara," Sideswipe smiled at me as I finally reached them. "You think you could help me out here?"

"Why of course," I smiled, moving to the ropes. I transformed my blade, about to strike down when I noticed something.

There was no more crashing.

"Windblade," I said slowly, slashing at the first layer of ropes. "Can I ask you something and you answer me honestly?"

"Of course," she smiled hesitantly, not looking at me but over my shoulder plates.

"Is my Optimus okay?" the second layer was gone.

"Uh…"

"That's not an answer," One more layer.

"Just -"

Done. "Go help," I ordered, moving directly to Sideswipe.

I heard her transformation and releasing fire as I met Sideswipe's optics.

"Is he alive?"

"Yes," he answered, wincing only slightly as I began working at the ropes.

"Good. I'll kill him later," Sideswipe chuckled softly at that, before turning back to the battle below.

Drift appeared beside me, freeing Strongarm with a single swipe of his blade as I finished Sideswipe. I glared at the bot.

"What's the lieutenant doing?" Strongarm questioned, looking between Drift and I.

"I'm not looking that way," I countered, feeling Optimus' spark ease mine as I sent waves of worry in his direction.

"Bumblebee is deferring to his mentor, rather than trusting the judgement he has honed while leading all of you here on earth," Drift explained, looking in the direction of Bee.

I made an attempt to turn _away_ from the direction they all were looking, towards the plane that was slowly circling the fallen Prime. She moved away as Megatronus dodged her blasts, leaving herself open to a counterattack. "We need to get down there and help," I called, gaining their attention. "Megatronus wants that staff," I pointed. "Keeping it away from him must be at the top priority." Just as I said this, the plane transformed, crashing to the ground. I heard Windblade's cry of pain. "I'll help Windblade. The rest of you, keep them away from the staff!"

Just as I went to leave, Megatronus transformed below, into a fusion cannon. He began firing at us, his blasts rocking the statue. I saw him releasing the hold on his missile launchers.

"Evasive maneuvers!" I ordered, myself already transforming and hovering above them. They transformed, driving off the base of the statue, the missiles following them. I quickly shot at them, my targeting system still intact. I circled around to fire upon the con again, but something grabbed onto my wing. "No!" I complained as I was dragged to the ground. I landed onto the vehicles speeding around to face the con, knocking the three of them off course. They transformed around me, myself ending up on the bottom of the pile they created.

"Consider these autobots parked," Thunderhoof smirked as my helm pounded at me.

"Well done," Megatronus cheered. I froze under the autobots, scanning each one as I listened.

"Along with building the machines that brought you here," Steeljaw said, and I could almost see his grin. "It was the least we could do. Now, shall we discuss when exactly I will take possession of this world, as you promised?"

"You've earned your reward, Steeljaw," the con promised him. "Though I can't imagine why you would want a pile of dust,"

 _What_.

"Dust?"

"This staff will first extract what remains of the anti-spark from Unicron, lying dormant at the earth's core. Then I will summon the Allspark from Cybertron, and bring the two together!"

"I thought Optimus had the Allspark within him. I thought that's why I had lost him,"

It was silent on the outside for a moment, before I realized my mistake.

I had spoken out loud.

"No!" I protested as servos locked around me. I was pulled from underneath my comrades. I struggled in Thunderhoof's grasped, before pausing when he rested his blade gently against my throat.

"But, combining the two would destroy both!"

I watched as Megatronus stabbed the staff into the earth, grinning. "Precisely,"

"What the fuck … " I whispered as I watched as purple, the same color as dark energon, circled around the hole the staff had made.

The staff shot a purple beam of light into the air, creating an odd purple hurricane looking cloud cluster, it slowly circling around a single point of origin.

"You lied to us!" Steeljaw yelled angrily. "To me!" he charged the con, only to stop for a moment when the weird Force thing lifted him in the air.

"I spoke only truth. You heard what you wanted to hear. He threw the con into the side of the statue with his force, the wolf growling before glaring at his minions.

"Don't just stand there!"

The three decepticons looked to Megatronus, who dropped his face mask. They quickly tossed me to the ground, before running in the other direction.

I twisted onto my back, glaring at the decepticon perched on the statue.

He jumped from his hold, attacking Megatronus. I groaned, thinking about how I might have to team up with the little bastard to defeat the con, like Optimus did with Megatron occasionally.

I transformed my servo into a blaster, firing at him every chance I could. As much as I wanted to hit Steeljaw, I couldn't.

"All I wanted was a place for decepticons to call their own!" Steeljaw argued, swiping at him whenever he could. "A place _I_ could rule!"

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Megatronus said, deflecting both blows from the con and my blaster fire. The force thing suddenly lifted the both of us, tossing us over the river. I transformed in my flight, halting it as I reached halfway, circling back around. However, Steeljaw kept going, and I didn't see where he landed.

Put that on the back burner.

I paused to take in the scene.

Grimlock, Sideswipe, Windblade, Strongarm, Drift and the minicons were fighting with Underbite, Clampdown, and Thunderhoof. Bumblebee was standing beside Optimus, who was deflecting a blow from Megatronus' fusion cannon.

I guess there was an explosion from the might, because in the next moment Bumblebee exploded into the air, away from Optimus.

I cursed, kicking my engines to follow after Bee. I got under him just before he crashed to the ground, lifting him into the air and circling around.

"Cara," he eased, twisting around to look at my bot below.

"You down for a dive?" I asked him, rerouting myself to fly above the rest of the team.

"Huh?" he twisted again, before grinning as I hovered above our dinobot. "Grimlock!" he gained the bot's attention. "Cannonball!" he lept from my frame, circling in much the same motion as Grim usually did, landing directly onto Underbite's frame.

"My turn!" I cheered as I transformed, free falling onto the pile of Clampdown and Thunderhoof that Windblade, Strongarm and Sideswipe were so generous to provide for me. I landed on my pedes, grinning at the complaints below me as I carefully stepped off, moving to join up with the rest of them.

I didn't miss the sound of pain that emitted from my bot. My frame called to his, my processor having to fight my spark in every way. I didn't dare to look where I had last seen him, knowing from experience, and the other half of my Optimus' spark, that I was needed here.

"Optimus!" Bee cried out worriedly.

"Sir," Strongarm eased as Sideswipe rested a servo on my shoulder plates. "That fight is above our powergrade. We believe we can help Optimus in other ways, but only if you join us,"

"We need you, Bee," Sideswipe argued joined in, even as I leaned against him.

"What did you have in mind?" Bee asked, grinning at his team. Sideswipe pushed me off him, in Bee's direction. The bot immediately reached for me, myself leaning against him and rubbing at my spark uncomfortably.

Strongarm and Sideswipe lifted their decepticon hunters into the air, tapping them gently together. They sparked, a light blue hue surrounding both the weapons and the bots.

"Wowsa," I muttered, watching them curiously.

The two separated, Strongarm looking at her crossbow with a raised optic ridge.

"Maybe we need more power," she mumbled. "To make whatever wants to happen, happen,"

"Don't you have one of those, Bee?" I asked him.

He nodded, pushing me to Grimlock. I shoved off the dinobot's advances before I could be trapped into a massive dino hug, watching as the three bots raised their hunters into the air. The blue hue appeared again, but disappeared after a minute.

"Scrap," Sideswipe muttered. "I want to trade mine for the one Optimus has,"

 _Ding._

Bumblebee figured it out too.

"Sideswipe that's it!" he cheered, concentrating a moment before his blade transformed, becoming a carbon copy of the blade Optimus had. "Remember? Just imagine the weapon you want your decepticon hunter to become,"

The two copied, before three decpeticon hunters merged together. The blue hue intensified, the three bots growing extra armour before our optics.

" _Fixit to Bumblebee and Cara,_ " the minicon called. " _I'm reading a tremendous energy surge from your weapons._ "

"Fixit," I called back. "You built two more decepticon hunters based off the one we found,"

"Why didn't you tell us what would happen if we combined them!?" Bee translated next, his excitement comparable to that of a little kid.

" _Combine them? Huh. Never considered that,_ "

"Link up and fire at Megatronus!" Bee ordered, already getting into position. The combined their weapons, sending a quick surge at the con. It distracted him long enough for Optimus to recover, getting back into the even battle again.

"It'll take more than a quick surge to stop him," Windblade countered.

"We need to pin him down," Bumblebee looked to me.

"I'll get Optimus," I assured, already kicking my thrusters. I landed right in front of Optimus, deflecting a blow with my blades. I leaned against him, noticing his comm was open.

"Why would-" he questioned, looking to Bee.

I deflected another blow, this one harder than I expected. It pushed me back, into my Optimus' waiting arms.

Thunder rumbled above, the clouds parting slightly as Megatronus held his staff up.

"No!"

"Throw me," I ordered him, already lifting my pede. He cupped it, launching me into a perfect spiral to the con.

I saw the counter attack too late. His sword connected with me, lodging itself into my frame. I yelled in pain, feeling a dark matter seep into my systems. I struggled, even as he tossed me carelessly to the side, returning his attention to the sky. I struggled, feeling the sword eat at the metals in my shoulder plates.

I heard Optimus roar in rage, and the thunderous sound of him charging.

"Never!"

I am unsure what happened, but the sky in my direct line of view cleared up almost instantly. I cheered as I heard Megatronus gasp at it.

He yelled in fury, and without a sword, open fired on the bots. I heard my bot's thunderous pedesteps, emitting from the same general direction that the shots were landing. I saw Windblade soar above, Drift riding ungraciously atop her wings. I started fighting the sword in my shoulder, but it must've been driven into the ground. I couldn't budge!

Then, Sideswipe appeared, scaling the statue much faster than I had.

I moved to lift my helm, but found I couldn't.

I couldn't -

"Cara!" Optimus called for me. I tried to twist, but I couldn't.

"I gotcha,"

Green arms picked me up. I adjusted my optics slightly, finding Grimlock smiling down at me. I tried to smile back, but I wasn't sure if he got it.

"Sword … " muttered, still feeling the blade in my arm.

"I got it," Grim cheered, moments before I felt the pain of more energon lines rupturing. "Uh oh…"

"Alright, …" I eased, already directing myself to repair accordingly. I would need more help later, but as long as the energon leaking stopped, I'd be fine.

"I gotta go," Grim suddenly cheered, gently setting me on the ground and taking off in the direction of the battle. I tried to move my helm after him, but I couldn't move. I couldn't move at all.

I heard Grim roar, a few punches following it. I smiled, thinking about how much fun he was probably having. A thunderous noise on the ground suggested Grimlock had fallen, though the sound of Bumblebee, Strongarm and Sideswipe engaging came shortly after it.

My Optimus gave one of his enraged roars, before the two locked in battle. I could tell it was them from the vastness of the punches and hits. They must've each been throwing everything they had at each other.

I reached to my shoulder, feeling around for the pinched lines. I sealed them as they came, one by one. With my energon flowing correctly, my systems started rebooting one by one. I felt my strength build up, my helm moving as I commanded now. I looked towards the battle, seeing Grimlock trip Megatronus with his tail. Above, Windblade was pulling against the statue, slowly having it fall to the ground. A rope was tied to her tail, where Drift and the minicons grabbed a hold as she soared away from the descending block.

Grimlock charged directly under it, where he grabbed Optimus and moved him out of the way.

It landed in a massive bang, directly on top of Megatronus. Bumblebee, Strongarm and Sideswipe stood by the rubble, and I smiled.

The rock lifted up, Megatronus hoisting it up and glaring at the three.

"I waited years in exile, burned with desire for vengeance, and I will _not_ be denied!" He demanded.

The three combined their swords, the blue hue surrounding them again, but much stronger than before. They aimed, a shot ringing out towards the Fallen Prime. I could hear his screams of agony, a simple "No!" as the light grew brighter. I looked away, it threatening to overload my optics.

When the blue light died, and I opened my optics, he was gone.

"Fixit," Bee called over the comm. "Any sign of Megatronus? With his energy, he should show up like a bonfire on a beach,"

" _Not so much as a whiff of his signature, anywhere,_ " the minicon replied.

"If there's even a chance Megatronus is still out there -"

"We shall always be there to counter him," my Optimus rumbled, looking down at Bumblebee with a smile. I felt left out, but I was glad they had their moment as well. I took in my Optimus' frame, noticing it was much more intimidating than even his last update.

"Bumblebee!" Russell cried, he and Denny running towards us. "Emergency crews are coming! - Woa," He paused, looking up at Bee with amazed eyes.

Optimus headed towards me, an easy smile on his face.

"You heard him, team," Bee smiled, putting his weapon away. "Let's rev up and roll out!"

 _Wow._

"Now _there's_ a battle cry!" Sideswipe said excitedly, transforming and rolling ahead.

"I'm feeling all inspired!" Grimlock agreed, following the red demon closely behind.

"That's the one, sir!"

Bee looked proud of himself, transforming and letting the humans in.

"Hey babe," I smiled as Optimus kneeled in front of me. "Did you miss me?"

He ran gentle digits across the wound on my shoulder, myself biting back a hiss in pain. "What am I going to do with you?" he questioned, scooping me up and holding me close to his chest.

"Keep me captured in your room, and never let me go?" I offered with an innocent smile.

He kicked off the ground, his thrusters carrying us over the river and to the junkyard. I leaned up, pecking a gently kiss on his chin.

* * *

The group was gathered around the scrapyard, watching as Fixit tended to the wound. It wasn't bad, just needed a little welding done, something he insisted on doing himself. I was gently tapping my pede against Optimus' armour on his leg, watching as Grimlock strutted back over from placing the captured cons in cryo-stasis.

"So,..." Russell trailed off, looking at Bee. "Now that the threat is over, will you be returning to Cybertron?"

"As long as there are cons like Steeljaw at large, I wouldn't feel right leaving earth," Bumblebee shrugged. He vented a sigh, before looking at his team. "But that doesn't mean any of you should -"

"Permission to stay, sir," Strongarm interrupted, looking at him with hopeful optics. "Our work here beats any training at the academy."

"I'm going to hang around, too," Grimlock firmly planted himself beside Strongarm. "After all, I'm still a criminal back home,"

"My place is with the Alchemor, sir," Fixit said from his perch on my shoulder. He patted the weld, before gently removing himself off of me and onto solid ground. "And she is in no condition to sail,"

"And we wish to continue our education beside you, Bumblebee," Drift said, Slipstream and Jetstorm right beside him.

That left one.

Sideswipe kicked the dirt in front of him, acting like he was stuffing his servos into pockets he didn't have. "Well …" he vented a sigh, looking down before smiling at Bee. "Someone has to keep Strongarm in line," he moved to stand beside the femmes, the blue one glaring at him.

Windblade gestured back to Sides. "And someone has to keep Slick in line," she smiled.

Bumblebee's smile only widened, before his optics fell on me.

"Optimus?" I questioned, looking up at my bot and ignoring Bee's look.

"Things are in capable hands here," my bot rumbled lowly, Bee's attention going back to him. "I do not believe I am needed anymore,"

"What!?" Bee exclaimed, looking at Optimus like he'd just gotten shot.

"It was your team's strategy that won the day, Bumblebee," he explained, smiling at him proudly. "You have become a great leader,"

"You destroyed Megatronus' spark fuser," Bee argued patiently back. "And battled him to a standstill. Believe me, you're needed!"

Optimus watched him. "If I stay, it would no longer be as your leader, but as your equal," he rested a servo on Bee's shoulder.

He gaped at my bot, before turning to look at me. I hauled myself to my pedes, pushing myself underneath Optimus' arm. His servo locked around my hips, supporting me as I relaxed against him, wrapping my arms around his much broader chest. "I'm not leaving this bot's side again, Bee. We're a packaged deal,"

He looked to his team, who were all smiling at him.

"I can work with that,"

* * *

 **Yes, I am going to continue the story into the other seasons. No, I am not quitting the story. If I get slower at updating, it's because I'm in school. I promise I'll get it to you, I just don't know when. I am NOT going to give up, I promise, and there will be TONS more to this than meets the eye. If you have any ideas or requests, please send them to me sooner rather than later. Once I start writing a plot, I'll probably stick to it. Just let me know!**

 **Thank you all for your continued support. Please leave a review !**

 **-Lizzzard**


	25. Overloaded pt 1

_The ground bridge opened, the bots walking through. Optimus' face mask unsheathed as his optics fell on me, his lips turned up in a slight smile._

" _Hey, Chief," I smiled at him, stifling a yawn as I rose from my position on Ratchet's keyboard._

"Please _take her away," the medic called behind him. "She has been pestering me the length of your mission."_

" _What'd I miss?" I grinned up at him._

" _It's a good thing you didn't come, Cara," Bulkhead called. "It was crazy."_

" _Oh?" I looked at Optimus curiously as he reached out for me._

" _Airachnid and Starscream both attempted an assassination on Megatron."_

" _A mutiny," I grinned. "I like it."_

" _The cons came to their master's rescue," Bulk replied. "It was a massive showdown."_

" _Awesome."_

 _Optimus narrowed his eyes at me, before placing me on his shoulder._

" _You know you love me."_

* * *

"Why weren't _you_ at the battle, Cara?"

I looked at Russell from my spot, lounged against my Optimus' side, his arm held securely around me. I smirked up at Optimus before answering.

"Oh, I was sore from earlier activities, so somebot wouldn't let me go,"

"She was a human still," Optimus explained further, glaring at me before smiling softly at Russell. "She was sore from an earlier training session, and I deemed it not appropriate for her to join,"

"Sounds like it," he scoffed, staring up at Optimus intrigued. "Cara, he tells better stories than you do,"

"Hey!" I said in mock offense, gaining a laugh from the human.

"Tell another," Strongarm cheered.

"Ugh!" Sideswipe groaned, standing from his position, watching Denny and Fixit play Go Fish. "Give it a rest, would you Strongarm? You bugging Pops for war stories is getting older than, well, Pops!"

I snickered, looking at Optimus' unamused expression. "Pops, he just called you old," I quieted my whisper as he stood, effectively dropping me to the ground. I wanted to protest, but I couldn't stop laughing.

"Sideswipe," Bumblebee threatened, moving past me. "You better watch your -"

"Young bot," My Optimus interrupted him, Bumblebee looking both disappointed and confused. "You may call me Optimus Prime or Optimus. Those are your only options. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Sideswipe muttered, looking down.

"And I'm not bugging Optimus," Strongarm defended as my bot turned to me. "I'm leaving. You should try it sometime. Soon!"

"You're not the boss of me!" Sideswipe argued, getting in her face.

"Someone has to be!" she countered, jabbing a finger against his metals. The two of them broke out into a wrestling match, which I decided to let Bee deal with. I met my bot's optics again, before bursting out laughing, still laying on my back.

"What is so funny?" he questioned, placing his servos on his hips.

"N-Nothing!" I assured him, wiping a fake tear from my optic. "Nothing at all … Pops!" I started laughing again, Optimus' expression growing less and less amused.

"Ancora … " he rumbled threateningly.

"What are you going to do … Pops?" I laughed again, grinning up at him.

He reached down, scooping me up effortlessly. He draped me over his shoulder plate, his servo smacking my aft, and hard. I yelped, bracing myself against his back struts as he walked towards Bumblebee.

"Put me down you oaf," I demanded, only earning myself another slap on the aft.

He stopped behind Bumblebee, twisting slightly so I could see the two teenagers still battling it out. Bee vented a sigh.

"Grimlock, could you please break them up?"

The dinobot grinned, roaring directly beside the two, sending them backing away hurriedly.

The two paused, looking at Grim with wide optics. It wasn't long before Bee and I noticed it too.

"Grim!" Bee exclaimed. The bot turned to the side, exposing a face protruding from his metals. Everyone gasped in concern, except for Optimus and I.

"Micronus," he rumbled, moving forward. He gently eased me to my pedes, keeping one arm wrapped around me.

"Micronus?" Grim questioned, twisting in circles. He screamed like a girl, "Get him off me get him off me!"

"Grimlock," I eased, smiling gently at him. "It's alright,"

"Ancora Prime," he smiled at me, even as I narrowed my optics at him. "I see you're in good spirits,"

"I am, Micronus," I said calmly, holding my Optimus tighter. "Though I'd be happier if you'd call me by my name,"

"Cara," he corrected himself, before facing the bot above me. "Optimus Prime. Now that your battle with Megatronus is over, you must return those portions of the sparks your fellow Primes lent you,"

"I understand," Optimus nodded.

"Wait!" Bumblebee interjected, putting himself between the two Primes. "Optimus said the last transfer almost destroyed him. How do we know the reversal won't -"

"This isn't a Q&A, botling," Micronus narrowed his optics at Bee. "Commence reversal,"

A blue hue surrounded Optimus, himself lifting into the air. I backed away, watching as the others gathered around me. I sent waves of support through my sparkbond with Optimus, encouraging him even as he started yelling in pain.

"Stop! You're tearing him apart!" Bumblebee argued, moving to run towards him.

As much as it pained me, I reached out and stopped Bee. I trusted Micronus, and I knew that this wasn't something he'd do to Optimus if it wasn't necessary. He came back and kicked ass, there's no reason he couldn't survive this. He's survived worse.

… Right?

He let out one final pained roar, before whatever force was holding him up released him. He crashed to the ground, where Bumblebee and Sideswipe were already at his side.

"Optimus," Bee eased. "Are you alright?"

I turned back to Micronus, who was nodding.

"I am … alive, Bumblebee," Optimus forced out, trying to ease the bot.

"Barely," he monotoned, turning to glare at the Prime on Grim. "You took too much of his power!"

Micronus simply scanned Optimus.

"My scans indicate Optimus will recover,"

Fixit hesitantly crawled out from behind me. "My scan indicated Optimus' levels are extremely low,"

I felt the anger boiling inside me, especially after my scans showed the same as Fixit.

"When will he recover?" Strongarm questioned next. I was starting to get angry, and I just wanted a moment. "Weeks, months?"

"Only time will know the answer,"

"That isn't helpful!" Russell protested.

Micronus said nothing more to them, simply turning to me.

"Cara," he called. "I sense anger within you,"

"I am very angry," I agreed, clenching my fists to my side. "Though, I know everything has a reason behind it. I understand my Optimus wasn't at his best when he first entered your realm. I understand he was _dead_ , and you Primes brought him back to me. That, I am thankful for," I risked a glance back at my bot, who was hauling himself to his pedes with the help of Bee and Sides. "I am confused as to why his scans are so low, but it's not something I'm too worried about. He'll get better, and some Optimus is _much_ better than no Optimus,"

Micronus nodded. "I release him to your good hands, Cara," he smiled, slowly fading from Grim's side. "You make an excellent Prime,"

"Is he gone?" Grim demanded, twisting, trying to spot the little head. "Please tell me he's gone!" I gave him a thumbs up, turning to move towards my bot. "Whew. Well, Optimus may not feel better, but I do!"

"My physical condition is of no consequence," Optimus argued, moving to turn away from me. "Let us continue our mission,"

"Optimus Prime," I demanded, stopping my movements and crossing my arms across my chest. My bot froze in his own pedesteps, turning slightly to look at me. His movements were slow, his reactions slower. "You are not going anywhere,"

He narrowed his optics at me, before turning to face me fully. He straightened his frame, towering over me, trying to intimidate me. "You are in no position to order something like that of me," he demanded.

"Actually," I confirmed. "If you remember, you told Bumblebee you were his equal here on earth. As much as I despise my title, I am a Prime, and I am apart of the High Council, therefore, _I_ command _you_ as you are the lieutenant's _equal_ ,"

Optimus growled dangerously, leaning in closer to me. "You will regret this," he threatened lowly.

"I doubt it," I muttered in content, scanning him again. "Now come here. We'll get you patched up,"

I directed him to rest against the command center, plopping an energon cube in his lap.

"I am functional," he argued again as the others gathered round, Fixit moving into the command. "And if I am functional, I am capable of assisting -"

"Oh, hush up," I silenced him with a firm kiss on his dermas. "Drink your cube like a good bot."

He glared at me, but tilted the cube back anyways.

"He's about as weak as a frayed fan belt," Sideswipe muttered.

"I'll snap you in two if you don't stop that kind of talk," Windblade threatened again, my respect for the femme skyrocketing.

"If Optimus says he can help, he can help," Bumblebee argued, looking up at me. Optimus nodded, before going back to drinking his cube after I shot him a death glare.

I vented a sigh, before turning to Bumblebee.

"Bee," I eased with a gentle smile. "I know you're mad at Micronus. I am too, but there's nothing that can change what has been done. I appreciate your support of my bot, but he has to remember something; there's a fine line between being a hero, and being a memory," I smirked at my bot, even as he glared at me.

"Who said that?" Strongarm questioned, moving beside me.

"Optimus did,"

"Regardless," Bee interrupted, moving on. "It's been weeks since we've defeated Megatronus. We need to get back to capturing decepticons, and _stop fighting each other_ ," The five bots gathered beside us, Bee turning to Fixit. "Now, most of the Alchemor's fugitives have been centered near the scrapyard, but Windblade's told us there are others scattered all over the world."

"On which region do we focus?" Drift questioned.

"All of them," Bee stated with a smile.

"Drift, you and your minicons, as well as Windblade, will concentrate on distant decepticons. Your stealth and speed should allow you to cover substantial ground,"

"Then I'm going with them," Sideswipe stated. "With me on board, we'll have any cons we find rounded up before Russell's lunchtime,"

"You just want to be wherever Windblade is," Strongarm protested.

"Don't put me in the middle of your psychodrama," Windblade demanded, but it fell on deaf audios.

"You got it all wrong," Sideswipe assured her. "I just want to be wherever you _aren't_."

The two growled at each other, but I stepped between them before they could start wrestling again. "Enough!" I demanded firmly. "Sideswipe, if you want to go, go."

"Yes," Sides cheered.

"Strongarm, Grimlock and I will continue to operate from the scrapyard, with Denny and Russell's assistance," Bee continued. "Optimus and Cara, with Fixit's help, will track and coordinate all of our missions from the command center,"

"No, Bumblebee," my bot demanded firmly, despite my glares. "I believe I would be most helpful leading your field team,"

I glared at the bot as he tried to get up. I moved to stand directly in front of him, leaning over slightly to prevent any attempts at standing. "Do you feel as if the field team needs a 'leader?'" I questioned him.

Optimus nodded.

"Looks like you just volunteered your wife then," I smiled triumphantly.

"What!?" he argued, trying to stand before realizing I wasn't moving. He settled back on the ground, placing the half empty cube to the side and glaring at me. "You can't - "

"No," I corrected. " _You_ can't. I can, and I will."

He vented a sigh in defeat, and I gently placed a kiss on his cheek. He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You'll be in radio contact the whole time," he ordered me.

"Yes sir," I smirked, pressing a more demanding kiss onto his lips. "Not as fun on this side of things, is it?" I teased.

He grumbled, shoving me away.

"Fixit," Bumblebee continued. "Resume scanning and widen the vectors. Let's see if we can pick up a remote decepticon signal somewhere. And rig up a portable tracker for the Away Team to use,"

"Yes sir," the little minicon grinned, wheeling himself to his command center.

I rotated my shoulder, working the weld the little one did. It fit quite, maybe even better than the old one.

"Love?" I questioned, moving myself back to the ground to snuggle up against his side. He still grumbled, not uncrossing his arms. "Could you tell another story? For the kids," I motioned for the others, Strongarm specifically, who sat down beside us.

"Before we all disperse, sir," she cheered, sharing a glance with me.

He tried to act tough when he finally agreed, but his spark sang his praises as he began.

* * *

 _The ground bridge opened, Smokescreen, Bumblebee, Arcee and Optimus charging through, myself resting on Optimus' shoulder. As soon as the bridge closed behind us, we encountered blaster fire from incoming vehicons stationed around the building we were trying to reach. Bumblebee and Arcee charged away from us as Optimus and Smokescreen ducked behind nearby rock structures._

" _The decepticons beat us here," I said, drawing two pistols from their holsters as Optimus transformed his hand into a blaster._

" _We must secure the command center," Optimus commed to the others, hesitating just long enough for me to jump off his shoulder before charging to the direction of the blasts._

 _I watched as the four of them formed a line, charging straight forward, disabling cons directly in front of them. My gaze moving up, I noticed a few of the cons were above their direct line of fire. I sheathed one pistol, bringing my free hand to the other, locking my hands into place. I fired onto the cons, counting my shots as I went._

 _Smokescreen transformed and revved forward, disabling a few cons hand-to-hand. Before I could react, one of the cons got the jump on him, tackling him onto the ground. I froze, watching as the tumbled, but relaxed once I saw that Smokescreen landed on top, servos flying in an instant._

 _Suddenly, a rough, low ringing could be heard from above. Looking up into the dark night sky, I saw an orange beam of energy shooting from the sky. My optics narrowing, I saw it was the weapon that we were fighting for._

 _And it was headed straight for Smokescreen._

 _He pushed himself free from the blast, just as it landed on the con he was battling not nanoseconds before. He came to a halt near the rock I was stationed on, myself looking between the bot and the beam's energy drilling into the ground._

" _Whoa," he stated, looking at the massive crater in the ground._

 _The beam retreated, before it's slight glow could be seen in the stars again. This time, coming in at a different angle - towards Optimus._

" _Fallback," he ordered, the bots charging towards me. The beam landed, slowly following the bot's movements. I met Optimus' optics for a quick second, his wide with concern, and a slight bit of fear. He directed to bots to move away from me, but not before I could hear him comming base for backup._

" _Optimus!" I called, waving him over to me. I caught his optic, before he shook his head, reaching his hand up to his comm, chatting with the base again. I pouted, and for the first time was wishing I, myself, had a comm link. The orange beam disappeared again, the bots turning to Optimus who watched as it disappeared into the sky._

" _Autobots," I heard him call out. "We must draw its fire to distract from Rafael's efforts," before he finished his sentence, the sound of the beam returning filled the area. I cringed as I watched it landed dangerously close to the bot's positions._

" _Somehow, I don't think that'll be a problem," I heard Arcee respond as they turned and ran from the incoming weapon._

* * *

"Decepticon signal located in the Arctic Circle," Fixit reported with a smile.

I groaned, sinking further into Optimus' arms. " _Another_ Arctic exploration?" I complained. "That makes, what, five total?"

"I think it's more like four," Bee corrected, not meeting my optics.

"The cold will impede our systems," Drift reasoned. "We must capture our quarry quickly,"

"I'll program the coordinates into the ground bridge," Fixit added, already fiddling with his controls.

"Looks like you're up, Away Team," Bee smiled, turning towards me.

I huffed, smacking a kiss to Optimus' cheek before standing. He looked at me with wide optics, his spark pleading within my chamber.

"Hm," I turned to Bee. "Make sure _he_ doesn't move from this spot," I turned back to Optimus, bending over close. "And if you're not, you'll get it,"

"Promise?" he teased, winking at me.

I rolled my optics, but gathered with the rest of my team by the awaiting bridge.

"Remember," Optimus called after me. "Radio contact at -"

"All times," I finished, blowing him a kiss as I walked through the bridge. "Holy fuck shit it's cold!"

I heard Sideswipe snicker as the bridge closed behind us. It cackled weirdly, myself watching as it closed. I couldn't see anything abnormal, but that doesn't mean it is. The air was cold, the wind whooshing around us, lifting snow from the ground directly into my optics. I grumbled, pulling out the portable Fixit equipped me with, looking around.

"One two three," I counted my team. "On a mountain with a cliff," I peered over the edge, swallowing thickly at the height. "With … humans? In the distance," I pointed, the others looking with me.

"Seems like it," Windblade confirmed with me. "No signs of the decepticon,"

"None," I grumbled, biting back a shiver.

" _Fixit to Away Team, do you read me?_ " the little voice sounded from my comm. " _Away Team? This is -_ "

"This is Cara," I responded. "We made it in one piece. We're at a base of a mountain, with human researching near it.

"Is everything okay back there?" Windblade patched in. "We heard strange noises as we came through the portal,"

" _We … had a slight malfunction, of the ground bridge,_ " Bumblebee answered this time. Something was off. I searched my Optimus' spark, finding nothing.

"Fixit," I face palmed.

" _My theory is something in the Prime's reversal process altered your basic chemistry, Optimus_ ," he explained. " _When you went through the portal, you affected the ground bridge the same way a magnet damages a hard chive - high five, hard drive!_ "

"Wait…" I looked around the ice and snow one last time. "Optimus Prime, I swear to Primus above,"

"Hey babe," he cheered, from behind me. I turned, seeing him leaning against the wall of the mountain, smiling at me sweetly. He was further up the mountain than we were, somehow avoiding my scans. "You're right, it is no fun being stuck at the base,"

I glared at him. "Fixit, can you fix the ground bridge so I can send what's left of Optimus back through?"

"Cara…" he tried to threaten me with that Primely voice.

" _Unfortunately, I cannot predict the reopening of the ground bridge until further notice,_ " Fixit reported. " _However, we will set to work on it as soon as possible,"_

"Understood," I ended the call. "Cara out," I looked down at the portable in my servo. "The scanner says the decepticon is coming from that cave," I pointed at the same time I looked, grateful to see that there actually was a cave where I pointed.

"Travel up the mountain will not be easy, but -" Optimus cut his order short, grimacing and grabbing at his leg. I rolled my optics, bending down to scan his leg, before the rest of his frame.

"Are you injured, Optimus Prime?" Drift stepped forward as my bot kicked his leg, moving the joint that was irritated.

"I am fine, Drift," he responded, batting my servos away. His joint creaked uneasily as he moved it, something that wasn't right.

"The cold is affecting your systems more than the rest of us due to your weakened state," I scolded him, standing back up to glare at him properly. "You shouldn't have -"

He walked past me, not even caring about the words I'd just said. I groaned, moving to catch up with him, the others following.

"Optimus," I called, grabbing his servo and holding it tightly. "What is wrong?"

"There's no reason I can't help," he muttered, looking at me. "I am functional, I can -"

"There's nothing wrong with giving your frame time to heal," I argued back gently. "You don't have to be the leader all the time, Optimus. I am right here beside you, let me take some of the burden for you. That's why I'm here, that's why Primus put me next to you,"

He paused, resting his servo against my cheek. His digits trailed across my face, one resting gently against my lips. "I know," he finally said. "But I want to be _here_ ,"

"I know," I eased with a smile, turning slightly to kiss his palm. "Just take it easy, okay? And if your systems get too cold you are to tell me immediately. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled, following after me as I headed up the mountain.

As we traveled forward, I noticed the ledge we were walking along narrowing. It eventually was to the point of us having to press against it and walk along it sideways. Would've been fine for a human, but too small for bots.

I was in the lead, fighting off the breeze from my Optimus. I could hear him struggling behind me, but it was getting fainter so I assumed some of his strength was returning.

Until.

" _Cara!_ " Sideswipe called over the comm. " _All due respect and everything, but Optimus is holding us back,_ "

"Sides," I eased, controlling the anger and protectiveness my spark felt. "He just wants to help. Give him -"

" _No, literally. Turn around,_ "

I did, and I couldn't see the others. I adjusted my optics a little, spotting them a ways behind me. Optimus was still moving, the others very slowly and patiently following behind him.

Well, as patient as they could be.

"Anyone have any ideas?" I commed the lot of them, except Optimus, of course, as I moved back down towards them.

"Babe," I eased with a smile, cupping his face.

"Perhaps you should relocate at the bottom of the mountain," Windblade suggested.

"I agree," Drift announced. "That way you could keep your strength in reserve, in case we encounter difficulty,"

"Excellent suggestion, guys," I smiled, giving my bot a pointed look.

He lifted his leg, it squeaking as he moved it slightly. "Perhaps I -" he tugged his leg back in as a solid boulder of ice landed right where it was a few seconds ago. It tumbled over the ledge, disappearing into the white dust covering the mountain.

I growled lowly, looking up where the boulder had come from. The cave in which the decepticon signal was. The others pressed themselves further against the wall, avoiding the continuous boulders that came crashing down in rapid session. I met optics with Sideswipe, who twisted to look up as I was. The most massive one yet came tumbling over, headed straight for Sides. Before I could shout a warning, he somersaulted in the direction of the others, pressing himself back against the wall by Drift.

"Found our decepticon," he cheered.

"Unless he runs out of ice, I don't think this assault is ending anytime soon," I announced, pressing back near my Optimus.

"That is unacceptable," Optimus growled, pushing me away. He grabbed his decepticon hunter, it glowing as he attacked the base of the mountain. I was super confused. "Continue up the mountain, I will provide cover,"

"That's the stupidest idea -"

"Optimus, you're too exposed," Drift interrupted me, pointing out the more important danger my bot now threw himself towards.

"Do not argue," he growled. "You must -"

He was hit in the shoulder plate with a boulder, knocking him off his pedes. He balanced unsteadily on the edge for a moment, before going over. His thrusters kicked in, and I reached for him, but they gave out after only a moment.

I dove after him, transforming as I went down. He landed on my wings heavily, but I pushed up nonetheless.

"Grab onto the ledge," I called to him. "I can't lift you any higher,"

When he did, I could immediately feel instant relief. Though, I knew, if I released from under him, he wouldn't hold.

"Hold on, Primes!" Sideswipe called down. "We're coming!"

" _Cara,_ " Windblade commed to me. " _You can't carry Optimus, he's too heavy for you,_ "

"You don't think I know that?" I grunted back.

" _Listen. Drift is releasing his minicons to give Optimus something to stand on. You and I need to be airborne, taking care of our con while the others get Optimus to safety,"_

"Guess you're right," I replied shortly. "Tell me when -"

"Now!" Sides yelled from the top.

"Babes," I told Optimus as I activated my thrusters. "Hold on a minute,"

I hovered close by as the minicons flew through the air. They landed in the mountain, just a few inches below my bot.

"Rest your weight upon us, Optimus," Slipstream encouraged, Windblade transforming and soaring high above us.

"Not all of it, perhaps," Jetstorm countered.

I watched carefully as Optimus rested his pedes against them, as gently as he could, but I didn't miss the sigh of relief when the weight was off his arm.

I flew up to join Windblade, circling high and looking for the con.

"Where is he?" I asked her.

" _He retreated into the cave._ "

" _Cara!_ " Jetstorm called to me. " _The ice is cracking!_ "

Fuck.


	26. Overloaded pt 2

"Cara _," Windblade commed to me. "_ You can't carry Optimus, he's too heavy for you,"

" _You don't think I know that?" I grunted back._

"Listen. Drift is releasing his minicons to give Optimus something to stand on. You and I need to be airborne, taking care of our con while the others get Optimus to safety _,"_

" _Guess you're right," I replied shortly. "Tell me when -"_

" _Now!" Sides yelled from the top._

" _Babes," I told Optimus as I activated my thrusters. "Hold on a minute,"_

 _I hovered close by as the minicons flew through the air. They landed in the mountain, just a few inches below my bot._

" _Rest your weight upon us, Optimus," Slipstream encouraged, Windblade transforming and soaring high above us._

" _Not all of it, perhaps," Jetstorm countered._

 _I watched carefully as Optimus rested his pedes against them, as gently as he could, but I didn't miss the sigh of relief when the weight was off his arm._

 _I flew up to join Windblade, circling high and looking for the con._

" _Where is he?" I asked her._

"He retreated into the cave _."_

" _Cara!" Jetstorm called to me. "The ice is cracking!"_

Fuck _._

* * *

"Optimus, use your thrusters!" I commed to him, circling around the cave at the top of the mountain.

" _They won't carry me to the top,_ " he grunted a reply.

"No, but they'll take some weight off you and the minicons," I reasoned, open firing upon the con who was back to throwing blocks of ice on the team below.

I circled around again, watching as Optimus did just as I suggested. Windblade passed me, moving to release her own fire upon the con below. I analyzed everything as quickly as I could, trying to draw up battle plans.

"Drift," I commed down. "Do you see anything solid down there? The ice is unstable, I know, but is there a part deeper within the path that could maybe be used as an anchor?"

There was silence a moment. " _Indeed._ "

"Excellent. Anchor yourself there, have Sideswipe branch off of you and I'll come down to pull my Optimus up," Drift moved below, Sideswipe not close behind. "Windblade, do one more then could you come down and lift Optimus best you can on your wings? Just to give him grounding, at the least, while we pull him up?"

" _Got it_ ,"

"Excellent," I rounded, dropping gently in front of Sideswipe. I winded my arm within his, grasping his forearm as he did the same to me, and I reached over the cracked ice for my bot. He met my optics, moving his free servo to mine. He held tightly, and I began to pull. Windblade dive bombed behind him, before transforming and lifting him, assisting his boosters. With that extra help, the four of us were able to pull him onto the safer ground.

While everyone was restarting their ventilations, I reached back over, plucking Jetstorm and Slipstream out of the ice, releasing them onto the safe side. And even then, I stood back up to glare up at the cave, waiting for the decepticon to show himself again.

"Thank you, friends," Optimus rumbled, his systems still not recovered from the little episode. "Apparently the cold has affected me more than I thought it would,"

"Huh," I mocked, looking at him but a minute to glare at him. "Maybe you'll listen to your sparkmate next time she tells you to do something, huh?"

"I didn't mean to -"

We were interrupted by a roar at the top.

"Now what?" Windblade sighed angrily, glaring at the same spot I was.

Our decepticon leaned over the ledge, glaring at us, before roaring again. It was louder this time, stronger. It took me a moment before I realized the danger in what he was doing,"

"Guys," I almost whispered, heightening my audios. "I think he's trying to start an -" the sound of rolling thunder got louder and louder, an eventual cloud of white moving downhill. "Avalanche!"

"What a great inaugural mission this turned out to be," Sideswipe muttered, the lot of us watching it move towards us.

"Windblade!" I called, moving to my Optimus. "Get Sideswipe and Drift out of here!"

"But what about -"

"We can't carry my Optimus out with the others. I'll stay with him. Just promise you'll find us," I winked at her, covering my bot's body with my own.

She transformed, Sides and Drift, the minicons now resting on his arms, climbed on, hanging their pedes in the air as they flew away.

"I should be the one over you," Optimus grumbled, nuzzing his faceplates into my lower abdomen.

"Behave you," I scolded. "We're about to get buried alive and all you can think about is interfacing."

"Oh baby," he whispered seductively just as the first bits of snow came down. "I always am,"

I laughed a little, before the snow knocked us both off the cliff.

* * *

I onlined my optics, meeting my Optimus'. He had his arm around me, his decepticon hunter in the other servo.

"What's up, babes?" I questioned as he shifted a little. The decepticon hunter glowed in his grasp, before he aimed it upwards.

"Just getting your aft out of harm's way," he announced like it was a chore, shooting heat from his hunter. It melted the snow into a circle, allowing enough room for us to evacuate. Windblade, Sideswipe and Drift were at the top, lending us a servo to get us out of that hole.

"You did well, Windblade," I turned to see Optimus dusting off the snow from his metals, the femme in question smiling up at him proudly. "You got the others to safety,"

Drift made a face at his minicons, who straightened in a salute, before running to her side.

"Thank you, Windblade," Slipstream smiled. "Your maneuver was quite impressive,"

"You were most heroic," Jetstorm added.

"Okay, don't get any ideas, shorties," Sideswipe grumbled, moving from my side. Drift helped me stand, brushing the snow from my shoulders as I got it off my arms. "I saw her first,"

Drift rolled his optics. "If pecking order has been determined, let us return to our mission: capturing the decepticon intent upon destroying us,"

Optimus groaned in pain somewhere behind us. He was leaning against the mountain, moving his knee joint and listening to it squeak. He let out another pained groan, grabbing at his leg again.

Sides groaned in frustration, grabbing at his helm in a human motion. Windblade looked at me, almost as if for permission. I smiled and nodding, herself taking it as permission and moving forward.

"Optimus," she called, causing the bot to straighten up almost immediately. "We don't have much information about the fugitive."

"That is a situation I believe we can remedy," he almost smiled, his shoulder blades squaring back more. He pressed his digits against his audios. "Optimus Prime to Fixit, come in."

" _Fixit here-here-here-here-here-here-here-here … Go ahead!_ " the minicon replied. I vented a sigh, thinking about trying to fix him again.

"We seek information about a decepticon that resembles an earth polar bear. One with a sonic roar,"

" _That sounds familiar,_ " he replied. " _Polarclaw was the crime boss of Cybertron's northernmost region. In addition to his roar, he has great strength and enhanced eyesight. He's a brilliant strategist, sometimes planning years in advance to protect his interests during his long periods of hibernation._ "

"Thank you, Fixit," Optimus grumbled, before closing off the comm and looking at me. "Do you know of this Polarclaw?"

"I do," I responded. "He was a nasty one, didn't go down without a fight,"

"Great." Sides griped. "With Polarclaw's optics, we won't be able to get within two klicks before he spots us,"

Optimus thought a moment, before his spark hummed in determination.

"What're you thinking?" I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Follow me," he replied, turning to hobble away towards the research lab back _down_ the mountain.

I stared after him, even as the others began their journey after him.

I grumbled, following behind at a much slower pace.

When I finally caught up to them, they were all crouched behind a building, peering around it at the only vehicle in sight.

"The Prime's taught me many things in my time in their realm … " Optimus stated as he saw me, before turning back to the vehicle. He scanned it, like one would to take a new v - mode, but as he transformed, instead of his transformation, his colors changed from their original red and blue to their camo white and blue. He stood proud after the final colors fell, watching us as we stared up at him in shock. "Some of which, I can teach you,"

Windblade smiled, crossing her arms in front of her chest as Sideswipe smirked.

I moved forward, pressing my forearm against his. "Wanted to be more like me, did you?"

He smiled, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "You have to change too, sweetspark,"

"What!?"

* * *

"I had no idea I could scan another vehicle and draw just one of its characteristics!" Windblade cheered as we all stood before Optimus in our new paintjob. Mine hardly changed, just made me more white than blue, got rid of the red trims. Sideswaipe was observing every inch of his body while Drift stood ever stoic.

"Indeed," the bot stated. "It is a useful ability the Primes revealed to you, Optimus,"

"I guess this is a pretty cool look for me," Sides finally relented.

"Hey Sides," I whispered, leaning from my Optimus' hold for but a moment. "Look on the bright side: Polar-bitch can't see you now,"

"Good point," he shuddered back to me.

I giggled as Optimus pulled me back roughly, enclosing me tightly.

"I am pleased you approve," he rumbled threateningly. "Let us return to our mission," He transformed, driving off with me following closely above him. " _You know,_ " he called over my comm. " _Primes aren't supposed to cuss, especially at their young charges._ "

"You know," I replied in my usual casual tone. "Cara isn't a normal Prime, and Optimus Prime is _still_ in a lot of trouble,"

" _Am I now?_ " he challenged, and I could feel his spark singing in desire as it brushed against mine. " _Why, I don't think your lack of a filter should go unpunished either._ "

I rolled my optics, lifting just the slightest bit. The trek up the mountain, this time, was a lot easier. In vehicle mode we made good time, Windblade flying far enough back that the wind I was using didn't interfere with her flight at all.

From my scanner, I saw Polarclaw peer over the mountain.

"Everyone, stop," I ordered in a whisper. They obeyed immediately, stopping in their tracks. I quickly transformed, landing on my Optimus as Windblade directed her turbines to keep her afloat. The con above peered around a little, before retreating back to his hole. "He looked right at us!" I cheered successfully, rubbing the metals I now sat upon. "All clear," He moved forward, not straining at all under the extra weight. His spark still sung in content.

We transformed maybe twenty feet from the entrance, walking the rest of the way. When we peered around, we were met with darkness. Once my optics adjusted, I could see the con deep in the tunnel, scraping his claws against the ice.

"He's prepping a lair," Windblade whispered, squeezing in front of me. "Getting ready to hibernate,"

We pushed against the wall, hiding best we could behind some of the rocks of ice.

"Cara," Drift turned to look at me. "We should wait to apprehend Polarclaw until he is asleep,"

"Forget that!" Sideswipe argued, moving past us. "There's five of us, and one of him. Let's wrap this up already!" As he took another step, one of his joints squeaked, creating a loud noise in the silence of the cave. He paused, looking back at me with a sheepish grin.

The con looked over, making optic contact, before charging down a hallway leading deeper into the cave. I vented a sigh in frustration, transforming my servo into a blade and chasing after him. I could hear the others falling in step behind me, Windblade talking to Sides.

The con paused, looking back at me. He prepared, but so did I. Just as he released his roar, aimed up, I ducked and slid along the ice. I could feel it scratching my paint, but I didn't pay any attention to that. The rocks crashed to the ice below, myself recovering just as quickly as I dived down. Just as I stood, I noticed I'd lost sight of the con. I charged ahead, hoping to catch up to him when -

"Shit fuckers,"

I slid along the ice, trying my best to stop. I couldn't make it in time. I slipped off the edge, falling down towards the icy waters below.

"Guys," I called over my comm. "Be careful, there's a ledge at the end of the tunnel," I transformed, activating my blasters to send me into the air before I crashed in the water.

" _Do you see Polarclaw?_ " my Optimus asked me. I risked a glance back, seeing him, Drift and Windblade standing on the edge.

Looking back over the water, I saw the con driving across the ice. I noticed his tires, they were caterpillar treads, much more equipped for traveling on ice.

"He's on the water," I responded. "His tires are better suited for -" I was interrupted by a crash behind me. When I turned, I saw the ledge the others were standing on crumble beneath them, sending them tumbling into the waters below. "Guys! Optimus!"

" _We are alright, Cara,_ " Optimus replied.

" _I think the cold is getting to me now,_ " Windblade stated as I hovered over where their signals were coming from.

" _To all of us. We need to complete this mission quickly._ "

" _How?_ " Sideswipe argued, sadness in his voice. " _Polarclaw will be long gone before we figure out a way to get back to the surface,_ "

"Actually, guys," I reasoned, scanning the water's floor. "There's an incline in the direction our con is traveling."

" _So_?" the kid questioned.

" _Windblade, assume jet mode. Cara-_ "

"Already there, chief,"

" _When you reach Polarclaw, comm your position to us, then do whatever you can to force him into this ocean._ "

" _And then what?_ " she asked, confused, even as I started to move in the direction of the con.

" _And then we will handle the rest,_ " my Optimus threatened darkly.

It didn't take long before I was joined by another plane in the air.

"Hey love!" I shouted excitedly as she flew beside me. "How's it going?"

" _I can feel ice forming on my wings,_ " she replied.

I chuckled. "Mind over matter, dear. Mind over matter."

" _How are you and Optimus doing it?_ " she questioned suddenly. " _Especially Optimus. I'm feeling the cold, yet you two are still going!_ "

"My Optimus and I are connected at the spark," I explained, still scanning the ice below for the con. "What he feels, he can send directly to me. Half of my spark is with him, half of his is with me. My Optimus is also very stubborn. If he doesn't want something to bother him, it won't. As long as there is danger, he will keep fighting."

" _I can see why you fell in love with him._ "

"It's more than that," I smiled. "He's … He's my Optimus," My scanner beeped, the signal below still traveling at high speeds. "Target aquired,"

" _Optimus, we have a visual. Sending coordinates now,_ " she radioed, the two of us speeding up. " _How are we going to get him in the water?_ "

"I'll shoot behind him," I offered. You shoot in front. Cut off his escape route, try to get one right in front of him so he doesn't expect it,"

A confirmation was given, and we took off. As I neared, I lowered, firing upon the ice and water below. I prayed that the shots that hit the water didn't hit a bot by accident.

Unless it was the con, of course.

Windblade shot ahead of the con, apparently crushing one block of ice before he realized it, diving nose first into the icy waters below. Windblade circled around, flying next to me. She hovered while I paced in the air.

Unexpectedly, the con flew into the air, somersaulted, before tumbling back into the water.

"The fuck, … " I questioned, scanning the ocean floor. The others were down there, but what was my Optimus thinking?

" _Windblade, Cara,_ " My Optimus radioed a few moments later. " _It appears the seafloor continues its up-slope to a nearby shore. We shall meet you there, with our captive,_ "

" _Sounds good,_ " Windblade replied, circling around me before flying in the direction. " _I have a cache a couple hundred klicks from here. Polarclaw can get all the sleep he wants there._ "

"Drift," I called, still pacing. "Is my Optimus carrying the con?"

" _Affirmative,_ " he replied. Before I could cut my thrusters, he continued. " _However, I'd allow him to do so. Despite Optimus' weakened state, he's still demonstrating exceptional combat skills and abilities. He's proving a point._ "

I smiled, already moving after Windblade, when my Optimus' comm link opened to me.

" _Sideswipe,_ " he rumbled in worry. " _You appear to be limping. Do you require assistance?_ " I could feel his spark hum in satisfaction, even as I Sideswipe's signal moved away from my bot.

"Smart ass," he chuckled. "Be careful love. When we get back to the scrapyard, I am running a full systems check, and you are going to let me or so help me Primus I am going to tie you to the ground."

" _How about you tie me to the ground anyways? It'd be much more pleasing_." he replied, his tone smug. " _Can we perform this action void of armor? That'd be even better._ "

"Primus, have mercy."


	27. Venom

**Since there are two episodes in between these two, with no Away Team action, I'm making one up. I watched Prime season 1 episode 12, based this chapter off of that for the most part. It was really fun to watch, and I'm glad I got to. I have a femme OC con, this'll probably the first and last time she's mentioned. Please bare with me, I'm working on it.**

 **PS, prayers for all affected by the flooding, by the fires, by the rain, from the cold, from the heart, from wherever you are. I love you all ! Thanks for readin!**

* * *

"Optimus," I scolded. My bot was leaning against the command center again, crossing his arms in front of his chest and pouting like a sparkling. "Optimus, you _need_ to give your frame time to heal,"

"I went on the last mission," he argued, still pouting.

"Against my wishes,"

"I am a Prime!" he finally used it. I knew he would eventually, it'd only be a matter of time. "I am above you, you should do as I say!"

I calmly watched him as he vented heavily. I let him cool off for a minute, before I responded quietly. "I am your sparkmate," I told him slowly. "I only want what's best for you. And I will push to give you that, even if it's going against my superior's wishes," I kissed his forehelm, smiling softly at him. "And besides, you died and gave me command,"

He grumbled, but finally relented. I had told him, when we located the decepticon signal, that he was going to stay behind and manage for us at the command, much like Fixit was currently doing for the Bee team.

"Everything good?" I questioned, moving to where Drift, Sideswipe, and Windblade were getting some last minute training done while I dealt with Optimus.

"We are ready," Drift nodded firmly.

"Then let's transform, and roll out!"

* * *

When we arrived, I immediately was on my guard.

It was just that creepy feeling you get. Goosebumps, in humans. I guess I still get those, the human reactions, but the whole forest we were in just creeped me out. The trees were bare and looked as if it was recovering from a forest fire. There wasn't any grass, no wildlife, no _stars_.

"Creepy," Sideswipe echoed my thoughts. "What kind of con are we going to find here?"

"The kind that's going home," I muttered. "Windblade, can you fly above and scout around?" She nodded, transforming and disappearing into the sky above. "Alright boys, we're going to have to split up. If you have any optics on the con, call for backup and _wait_ ," I glared at Sides. "For backup to arrive _before_ attacking the con."

"And, if the decepticon strikes first?" Sides asked in a mocking tone.

"Don't get spotted, and you won't have that problem,"

I transformed into my Optimus' semi and rolled in my designated direction, away from the others. I dimmed my lights as I ventured further into the woods, the only sound being the occasional wolf howl and scavnger eating away at a carcass.

" _Cara_ ," Windblade called a few minutes into the silence. " _I found a part of the Alchemor,_ "

"Another part?" I questioned, remembering that Fixit had said the prison ship had broke apart as it was entering earth's atmosphere, but I only remember him reporting two sections of it.

" _It looks more like an escape pod,_ " she continued. " _Shall I investigate?_ "

"Stay safe. We'll rendezvous at your coordinates."

Before I could move in the direction of her signal, I heard a noise from behind.

I stopped my movements, freezing in the area I was in. The tall, dark trees loomed over me, the feeling of death surrounding my vision.

Then my audios popped.

"Optimus?" I called through the comm, transforming and quickly bringing my blasters online. "Optimus? Sideswipe, Drift, anyone? Windblade, come in,"

"They can't hear you,"

I froze at the voice. It was oddly familiar, something I'd heard before, but it wasn't a pleasant memory. I adjusted my optics, searching up and down the surrounding trees, trying to find something, _anything_ out of the ordinary.

"What did you do?" I questioned the con, my voice patient. I could see Sideswipe and Drift's signals head for Windblade's, so I knew they recieved my comm from earlier.

"EMP blast," she sounded smug. "Who would've thought I'd find you, back on your home, Ancora? It's a small world, isn't it?"

"Too small, Venom," I growled back.

"Oh, you remember my name," she almost cheered, and I twisted to follow the sound of her voice. Was she pacing around me? "I feel honored. It isn't everyday the great Prime remembers you by voice print alone,"

"I could never forget what you sound like, decepticon," I growled, scanning the trees. I was getting frustrated that I couldn't find her how could I not see -

Something hard hit me in the middle of my chest plates. I fell backwards onto my back with the unexpectedness of it, hitting my helm hard against the ground. Before I could even move, she jumped on top of me, using her extra appendages to hold my wrists down, blaster included. I had no choice but to stop and stare up into her golden yellow optics.

"The great Prime, on a mission, on her own?" she cooed, running her digits gently down my face. I twisted, clamping down hard on her hand. She jerked her hand away, a drop of her energon falling onto my faceplates. "Feisty. I like that in a femme," she smiled.

"Drop dead, spider," I growled.

"You know I always admired you for your strength," she smiled. "You have been through so much, the loss of your Optimus, may he rust in pieces. The loss of your friends, and now, the loss of your home world,"

"What do you mean?" I played her game.

"That's what I'm here for, Ancora," she smiled. "I am here to destroy earth,"

"You're here because the prison ship I put you on crash landed,"

She shrugged. "Same difference. But now, you're helpless to the fact that _I won_ ," I struggled against her, but the way she was holding onto my wrists didn't give me enough strength to push her off, no matter how hard I tried. "Oh, don't worry honey. I'm not interested in harming the citizens of Cybertron anymore. I gave up that pursuit eons ago when you finally caught me. You got lucky, by the way," I shot her a glare, before continuing to struggle against her. "Now, I'm more focused on my new hobby, exacting revenge against you,"

I brought my legs up, trying to readjust my aft so I could kick her over me. "Why would you want to do that?" I purred softly.

"Because you allowed that _monster_ to do as he _wished_ to me!"

I kicked out, connecting with her abdomen. She sailed above me, her grip against my wrists loosening for just long enough. Before she could recover, I jumped atop her, delivering a few punches to her faceplates. Her four extra arms latched onto my back plating, throwing me off of her and into a tree, knocking it to the ground as I crashed beside it. It gave her just enough time for her to stand, but also for me to call for my blasters.

I fired at her mercilessly, going for the kill shot, something I hadn't been doing in a long time. The Prime inside of me questioned my wisdom, but I chose to ignore it.

For now.

She aimed at my wrists, shooting out her white web. It wrapped around my servos, binding them together and rendering my blasters useless. When I followed the web, it led to her servos, where she was perched in a tree and grinning maniacally at me.

I tugged hard against her, pulling her from the tree and onto the ground. I activated my blades, slicing through the web in an instant, before transforming them back into the blasters and resuming fire. She returned her own fire, where I chose to go on the defensive, dodging as I charged her. I twisted along a sturdy tree branch, flipping into a safe perch.

I glared down at her, jumping from the branch and kicking her hard in the chest plates. I landed on my pedes, standing on her entirely and pinning her to the ground. I warmed up my blaster, aiming it dangerously close to her faceplates.

"Cara!"

I froze, turning towards the sound of her voice. I flinched slightly, turning my attention away from her for just a moment.

"Ha!" she cheered, kicking me away. I tumbled along the ground, ungracefully coming to a stop beside another tree. I looked up, seeing Drift, Windblade, and Sideswipe firing upon the retreating decepticon as she burrowed into the ground.

"What kind of hideous creature was _she_?" Sideswipe questioned, turning towards me, but not turning his back to the hole in the ground.

"Are you alright?" Windblade asked beside me, offering me a servo.

I took it, allowing her to lift me to my pedes.

"Optimus," Drift called over his comm. "We have located her,"

"What happened?" Sideswipe questioned. "Why didn't you answer our comm?"

"EMP blast," I answered, acting as if I was brushing dust off my blasters before transforming them away. "No biggie,"

Windblade raised an optic ridge at me.

"Hey Optimus," Sides called. "Are there any decepticons in the Alchemor's manifest that look like an earth's spider?"

" _There is,_ " Came his reply. " _Venom is very well trained in combat. She was placed on the Alchemor for a crime that isn't recorded,.._ " he hummed in his thoughts, and I flinched as I knew what he'd find if he did any digging. "' _Decepticon, designated Venom was placed on the Alchemor after a lengthy pursuit by Ancora Prime. She is a highly trained con in combat. It is asked that no further details are to be given_ ,'"

"What gives?" Sides questioned, turning to me. I fiddled with my comm, pretending to not pay any attention to their conversation.

" _Cara?_ " My Optimus questioned.

I vented a sigh. "Venom was attacking a violent offender. She robbed the currency offices, harassed the locals, and even set fire to a few structures. It wasn't too terrible, until I got involved. Apparently, I was the only femme that she'd encountered, and she entrusted me with her history. When I reported it to the Council, she felt betrayed, and went bat shit. She came to the statue of my Optimus that I slept under, and tried to knock it on top of me," I vented a sigh, glaring at the hole. "She escaped Bumblebee quickly, but kept attempting to do so until I finally caught her and took her in,"

"So, how do we stop her?" Windblade questioned.

* * *

"Everyone in position?" I called over my working comm. I turned in the air, circling the spot her energon signal was coming from.

" _Waiting by the old tunnel,_ " Sideswipe called.

" _Circling the area by air,_ " Windblade reported from the sky above me.

" _Circling by ground,_ " Drift also responded from the ground below me.

"Perfect," I smiled, transforming as allowing my boosters to carry me down. "When my comm goes out, head for my position,"

" _Yes, Prime_ ,"

As my pedes hit the ground, I heard my comm fuzz. Good, I'm in the right place. I started walking forward, transforming my blaster, scanning the trees. I was using my audios, not my optics, because Drift and Sides were coming by ground, and I didn't want to shoot them because I was -

The ground went weak underneath my pedes, sinking me through the topsoil and sucking me into a hole below. Before I could recover, webbing laced around me, squeezing my arms tight to my side and my legs together. I was dragged backwards, my metals scraping against rock, protesting the movement entirely. I tried to twist around, to cut free of the webbing, but I was stuck. And I was stuck good.

When I finally stopped, I was a while away from where the others were no doubt converging. I could sense the presence watching me, but she didn't make a sound.

"What do you want?" I finally growled, still struggling against the webbing.

She giggled lightly. "Just you," she replied, closer than I had hoped. "Maybe, if you suffer like I once did, you'll understand why it was so devastating that you betrayed my trust,"

"I reported you to the council. That's no reason to -"

Something sharp sliced across my chassis, tearing a slice in the webbing, but also in my chest plates. I bit my glossa, ignoring to shout of pain that threatened to escape.

"I trusted _you_. That's why I told you!" She was above me now, her optics staring into mine with a hatred I hadn't seen since Starscream. "I trusted you to understand _why_ I needed to kill _him_!"

"He's put away," I promised her. "He can't hurt you anymor-"

"He's still alive,"

I froze at her words. "He can't be … "

"He is," she growled lowly, gently running her servo down my face. "So is Starscream. Did you ever get a frame? You didn't, did you?" Now that I thought about it, I had never seen the purple, one eyed con since the final battle on Cybertron with my Optimus. "He's still out there."

"We can protect you," I tried to promise her.

"You can't even protect your own prison ship from crash landing," she argued, brushing her digits on my lips. "And your autobots can't even protect their Prime,"

"But I can,"

She was thrown from my body into the wall in front of me. When I looked at who my rescuer was, red and blue towered high. I sagged in relief, relaxing onto my back.

"Optimus," she chuckled. "What a pleasure to finally meet you. Ancora has talked nonstop about you. I hear you actually treat your femmes like you're supposed to, you don't experiment on them and try to shove things where they don't belong?"

"I treat my Ancora the way she wants," he rumbled threateningly. "What I do and do not do doesn't concern you," He charged forward, sending out a quick punch. I flinched, knowing he was going to miss, until his left hand joined his right, punching up as the left punched down. The left connected, sending her back into the wall painfully. "And you will not touch her," He punched her once more in the gut, right as the others crawled through the tunnel that was made.

"What'd I miss?" Sideswipe questioned, observing Optimus standing tall above an unconscious con, and my wrapped in webbing on my back.

I vented a sigh, leaning back on the ground.


	28. Cover Me

**I didn't read this through, I have class in fifteen minutes so I hope there isn't anything wrong with it! There's a little smut in it, hope yall don't mind. It's not as detailed as I'd like, but I don't want to get too in depth ... yet.**

 **Thank you for reading ! Have a great day!**

* * *

As Grimlock placed Venom into a stasis pod, I turned to Optimus.

"Is he still out there, Optimus?" I questioned quietly, not wanting to draw attention to us.

"Shockwave has survived worse before," he recalled, and it brought the memory of Arcee and Cliffjumper. "I have no doubt that he has found a way to live off what scraps he may find,"

"What about Starscream?" I questioned. "He ran off when Megatron disbanded the decepticons, do you think he'd try to raise the army yet again?"

"I don't doubt that the decepticons are still plotting against our efforts of peace, as you and Bumblebee have encountered here on earth. But I do not believe we have a reason to fear. We have a strong team, Cara. We will counter anyone or thing that gets in our way,"

I smiled softly, ducking into his arms. He wrapped them around me, and I smiled softly into his embrace. My helm was tucked into his chest plates, underneath his chin. I closed my optics, my spark humming in content.

"Yuk!" a small voice below chided. Optimus and I looked down to see Russell holding his hands in front of his eyes, Denny standing beside him with a smug look on his face. "Get a room!"

"I think you two are rather cute," Denny encouraged. "And Optimus, man to … bot? I think you've found a good one,"

"I know I have," my Optimus smiled back, taking my servo and twisting me in a dance spin, pulling me back in, winding myself within his embrace. "And my spark sings to be reunited with her,"

I smiled up at him, kissing his jaw. "You have no idea how long I waited to have you back at my side, Optimus Prime."

"A place I do not intend to leave again, Ancora Prime,"

"I'll hold you to that," I closed my optics again, allowing his feather light kisses run down my chin. "Just never let me go,"

"Never," he rumbled deeply, vibrating a certain reaction within my fame.

"Gross," Sideswipe held up his servos beside Russell, looking at Bumblebee for help. "Us young folk don't want to see that."

"It's good to see you two back," Bee awarded. "Autobots, we have work,"

I smirked at Optimus, transforming out of his embrace into my truck. I directed my holoform to hang out the window, a crop top perfectly outlining my curves. "Well hello, stranger," I mumbled in a suggestive voice. "What's a pretty thing like you doing in a dump like this?"

Optimus smirked, his spark humming in arousal before he transformed as well, his holoform stalking out towards me. He was wearing tight blue Wrangler jeans that highlighted his ass, boots that clicked against the ground when he walked. I licked his lips as he stopped right by my door, taking in the glorious half moon of my ass.

"I seem to found the most excellent prize," he answered, his voice low and hot. "I was wondering if maybe I could get lucky tonight and claim her as my own?"

I mocked thinking about it for a minute, before grinning back up at him. "I think you might be able to," I hopped off the door and into the seat, my real body opening the door for Optimus to crawl into beside me.

He didn't even bother to close the door.

He leaned over me, my back bending low off of the seat and towards the ground. My hair fell back, long black locks touching the floor of my cab. I could feel every move Optimus' holoform made, and it was different than when Denny and Russell rode in my cab. This was … electrifying.

When my back was arched perfectly, Orion finally spoke. "I seem to have caught the most delicious prize," he rumbled lowly, kissing my skin gently, his breath warming small sections of it. "Now, I wonder if I could _tame_ her," he bit down on a small portion of skin, pulling it into his mouth seductively.

"You … You'd have to, try," I bargained, to which he met my eyes with a stare.

Before I knew it, he was over me into the other seat, lifting me into the air and into the back quickly. He tossed me on the sleeper, where I bounced into a sitting position to match him. But he was atop me the next moment, pushing me into the sheets that covered the mattress. I laced my seat belts around his wrists, remembering the old tricks he used against me when we were in _his_ alt mode. I tugged against his wrists, suspending him just inches above me where I smirked triumphantly.

"Gotcha," I leaned up, capturing his own skin into my mouth.

"You think mere _belts_ will stop me, _girl_?" he growled in a tone I hadn't ever heard from him before.

He was free of the binds the next minute, and before I could even process what was happening, his forearm was pressing my chest into the mattress, holding me there tightly, while his other hand hiked my shirt up over my breasts, my bra yanked down, and was playing with the mounded skin.

I bit back a moan, to which I was rewarded a tweak.

"Do not deprive me of the sounds which I desire, _femme_ ," he growled threateningly, even as I arched into him, trying to relieve the pressure off my chest. "Every reaction I give you, must be rewarded to me. Because _I_ am _allowing_ you to feel the pleasure. You must thank me. Do you understand?"

I hummed in content as he went back to gently massaging. "Yesss," I hissed, relaxing underneath him once more.

"Good," he smiled, sitting back on his heels. I whined in protest, my body relaxing as I stared up at him. "Be rid of these clothes, so I may begin,"

I shuddered at his demand, but did as I told.

* * *

"What's the matter?" I teased Optimus as he drove behind me. "Can't get over the beauty in front of you?"

"If I ever get used to your beauty, please offline me that very moment."

I chuckled as I rolled to a stop behind the others. Sideswipe and Drift transformed, Sideswipe laughing at one of his many stories he was repeating to us along the duration of our trip. Windblade landed beside me, myself transforming and pausing to check the scanner.

"There's still too much interference," I listened to Optimus' transformation, looking back up at Sides. "Lead the way, kid,"

"So I said to Strongarm," he continued his story as Windblade pushed past me, catching up with the mechs, myself hanging back until my Optimus caught up to me. "'I'll race you, and I'll be back here half an hour before we started!'" he chuckled, turning back in the direction we were traveling, Drift following behind lowly growling to himself.

"Might want to give your jaw a rest, Slick," Windblade encouraged. "Since we scanned camo modes from that offroading jeep, you haven't you haven't been silent for more than five seconds.

Optimus' arm wrapped around my waist, tugging me close to his side. I vented deeply, welcoming the embrace. I warmed my spark, allowing him to feel the love and affection I had for him.

I started to get the same back, until his portion clouded over in pain.

"Optimus!" I hollered, clutching at his frame as he leaned against the rockside, grabbing at his helm painfully.

"Are you hurt?" Windblade questioned, appearing next to me in the next moment.

"I, am fine," he finally rumbled. His spark sang the opposite, but it was only a moment before that too changed, agreeing to his confirmation. I glared at him, even as he straightened himself. "Since my power was drained from our fellow Primes, my stamina is not what it used to be,"

I narrowed my optics at him, still not believing. He gently brushed his digits against my face, smiling at me while he eased my frown away. I laughed, turning slightly so I could kiss the palm of his servo.

"Although I can feel myself slowly improving, longer missions like this one require some adjustment."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Windblade asked in earnest from her spot.

"No, but I appreciate your concern," Optimus smiled at her, an honest smile, and that made my spark swell. "Let us rejoin the others before Drift dismantles Sideswipe,"

Windblade nodded, pushing forward. I looked back up to Optimus, gauging his spark's humming with raised optic ridges.

He leaned down, kissing my head. "I'm fine, Cara,"

"Remember what you promised me at the scrapyard? When I agreed to you joining us?"

He vented a sigh, grabbing my chin with his hand, gently tipping my face up to meet his. "Yes, ma'am. And I will obey,"

"Good," I grumbled, moving to move forward.

When two minicons jumped out from a few of the bushes lining the path closest to the rock wall.

One was a beautiful blue, much like a few of the shades that came across my frame on normal circumstances. His partner had red and oranges, what seemed to be a blade coming from the top of his helm. They were laughing about something, before they started talking to each other. I had to strain my audios to pick up what they were saying.

"This one's so big that Razorpaw will _have_ to thank us!" the red one stated, pointing behind me at my Optimus.

I growled at him, moving to stand in front of my bot protectively.

"Let's get rid of this one … " the blue one raised his servo at me. Optimus hollered at me, but all I felt was cold that moved from my arm through the rest of my frame. Then, extreme heat that threatened to melt my metals if it was just a _liitle_ bit warmer.

I fell to my knees under the red one's attack, the blue one moving towards the rock my bot was hidden behind, firing the ice at it. He stopped for a moment, returning his ice on me while the other warmed the rock up tremendously. They traded again, the rock exploding behind me. I tried to move under the attack, but my circuits seemed like they were fried together.

"Ancora Prime!"

I turned to see Slipstream and Jetstorm taking defensive stances against the other two minicons, glaring at them with extreme hatred it was almost unrecognizable.

I turned my attention to my circuits, the sounds of the battle filling my damaged audios. I pried wires apart with careful digits, stripping only _just_ past the damaged ends. I pulled fresh wires from my subspace, hearing the pedsteps of the larger bots charging forward, then the ground shaking behind me as my Optimus stood to his full height.

I relaxed a bit, knowing that my Optimus was up and moving. He wasn't damaged, all I had to do was repair myself.

Lastly, I calibrated my audios. Adjusting to the new intake of the proper noise without static, I looked around.

Only to be blinded by a bright, glaring light.

"What the fuck was that?" I demanded, relaxing my body weight onto my servos behind me. I looked up to see the others recovering from the sudden light overload as well. Sideswipe and Windblade helped me up as Optimus commed for the base, his optics never leaving mine.

"Optimus to scrapyard. Fixit, do you read me?"

" _Optimus Prime!_ " the minicon cheered over the other end. I moved next to my bot, snuggling against his chest as he talked to the minicon. " _How delightful to hear from our stealth squad! You never call, you never spite - blight , write!_ "

"Fixit," he interrupted. "We need data on a pair of Torpedo Minicons, with the ability to manipulate temperature,"

" _Huh. Running that through the Alchemor's prisoner manifest … The ship's record returns two names, Swelter and Galcius. They can project extreme armor melting heat, and circuit cracking cold, respectively,_ "

"I confirm that," I muttered, absently rubbing at the site of one of the burns.

" _And, they have teamed up with various decepticons during their careers,_ "

"Was one of their former partners named Razorpaw?"

" _I see no reference to a Razorpaw in their file, nor do I see that name anywhere in the Alchemor's prisoner manifest._ "

"Thank you for your assistance, Fixit," Optimus cut off his comm.

"Pretty much every decepticon we've met since we've came to earth was on the Alchemor," Sideswipe started. "But, this Razorpaw just happens to be here?"

"I don't like having so little intel, Optimus," Windblade stated. "Especially when you're not feeling so wel-"

"Your concern is irrelevant, Windblade," Optimus suddenly stated firmly, leading me to twist away from him a little to look at him curiously. "Our mission to capture the decepticons takes priority over everything else. Let us continue our search with equidence,"

The others moved ahead, leading the charge. I moved my helm to rest my chin on Optimus' chest, looking up at him.

"Being truthful with your teammates is one of the cirtical steps of forming a bond between them, my love," I almost whispered, capturing his mouth with mine before he could protest. I released him, nipping his lip before I left, smiling at him and warming my spark next to his. "If you say you are fine, I believe it. But please, do not make me doubt,"

"Yes, ma'am,"

I kissed him once more, shorter this time, and turned to join the others. Before I could get too far, however, I heard, and then felt, a hard slap against metal. I froze in my steps, desire flooding my circuits before reality caught up to me. I didn't have to turn, as the bot was already walking around me, a smug look on his faceplates.

"Did you just … " I shook my helm, quickly taking the steps to catch up to him. "You didn't just .. "

"Oh, but I did," he countered, shooting me a content and way too sure of himself smile.

I growled lowly, shoving lightly against his arm. He chuckled, recovering quickly.

"I love you," he asured as I pulled the tracker out of my subspace.

I ignored him, hitting the device softly to try to get the signal back.

"Uh huh," It shuttered a little, before something very small appeared. "I'm hearing a faint signal through the static," I announced, the rest of the group turning to look at us. "It's up ahead,"

"You know, Optimus," Sideswipe countered. "Windy had a point back there," I snuck a glance at Windblade, who was smiling appreciatively. And even though I told Optimus I trusted what he said, I also have direct contact with his spark. I know he's playing it off, but I want to trust him. I'm glad there are other people on the team as worried about him as I am. "In case this Razorpaw is sneakier than we expect, maybe the four of us should check things out first. That way, if anything goes wrong, we still have our big-gun,"

"A well-reasoned plan, Sideswipe," Optimus agreed, and I knew what was coming. "But I'd prefer to end this pursuit as quickly as possible, with our team at full strength upon initial confrontation with our foes," he began his move forward, abandoning me at the back with the others. We slowly fell in line, myself hanging back a little.

"Thank you," I commed to Sideswipe. "I appreciate your concern. He's just a stubborn aft when he's hurt,"

" _Why aren't you doing anything to stop him, Cara?_ " Windblade commed to me, and I met her optics as she peered over her shoulder. " _I may be out of line, but don't you see he's not 100%?_ "

"I know he's not at 100," I commed to her next. "I've known that since the day the Primes took his energy. But, I also know my Optimus, and he has a lot more to give than most people think … there's more to him than meets the eye,"

" _Even if that is so,_ " Drift joined. " _Optimus is too proud to admit such a handicap_ ,"

" _So do you think he'll be okay on this mission?_ "

I carefully thought over my response. "Will he walk out of it alive? Yes, of course. However … his condition when he leaves, and the amount of damage he may receive, is questionable."

" _He's Optimus_ Prime!" Windblade suddenly countered, a defensive edge caressing her voice patterns. " _We have to protect him!_ "

" _He is a Prime,_ " Drift argued. " _He knows how to take care of himself,_ "

"The trick is protecting Optimus without letting him know we are doing so," I moved past their halted discussion, quietly tailing my Optimus.

" _But we don't know what kind of fight we're getting into,_ " Sideswipe stated, the procession falling back in place.

"I can assure all of you that I will be watching Optimus with all of my spark, as I always have been since I got him back," I stated, ducking under said bot's arm. "We don't know what fight we're getting into. You guys need to take care of yourselves first."

Optimus pressed a kissed to my forehelm.

" _He really does love you, doesn't he_?" Sides observed, and I smiled.

"I was made for him,"

My thoughts were caught off by Optimus' knee giving out. His weight fell onto my shoulders, a pained groan emitting from him. I stiffened my pistons, hefting up as much as I could. He only took a moment to recover, but when he did, we continued forward like nothing had happened.

I shot him a look, which he countered with a smile.

* * *

"The interference is heavy here," I stated, putting the device back in subspace. I still had Optimus' arm around me, supporting him slightly as he favored his left leg. "We should fan out,"

The minicons, Sideswipe and Drift started to one direction, and Windblade, myself and my Optimus were headed for another.

There was a rustling in a nearby bush. I quickly scanned the area, my weapons system just a twitch away, but Windblade beat me to it.

She bounded to the bush, her swords dissecting it piece by piece and slice by slice.

"Windblade!" Optimus questioned in worry. "What are you doing?"

She froze.

"I'm … uh … simply clearing a path before my hallowed Primes," she kneeled, and I internally face palmed. "It is an honor, Primes,"

"Windblade." I scolded, grabbing her upper arm and picking her up. "You _know_ how much I detest being anything but your equal,"

She nodded, yet proceeded to swipe at every bush that swayed wrongly in the wind - which I was grateful for.

"You shouldn't scold those who honor you, Ancora,"

I groaned, following behind Wind's path she made. "I don't need that lecture now, Optimus," I argued quietly. "I spent years leading and reshaping your home in hopes of leaving the world of the living as quickly as possible. Everything I did? Was for you. It wasn't for the people of Cybertron, or for the greater good, but for you. It was a selfish act of a widow in mourning, and that deserves _no_ honor,"

Before he could retaliate, up ahead, Windblade had moved toward the edge of the cliff, investigating a little rodent. The grounding underneath her pede gave, sending her falling off the edge and into the water below.

Optimus rushed to the edge, myself right behind him, us both observing the water's path. The others rushed down the mountain, joining us in looking over the edge. I didn't miss Sideswipe's concerned intake of air when he saw her in the water.

"Windblade!" he hollered, bounding over the cliff and sliding between two ledges down to the ground. When he appeared beside the river, running beside her floating frame, I moved back. I met Optimus' knowing optics, before running and leaping over the edge. I transformed quickly, flying low to the water.

She groaned and shouted in pain as the waters tossed her into rocks and logs and anything else in the water.

"Raise your hands!" Sides ordered, before jumping onto the side and flipping over her. He barely missed her hands, landing safely on the other side of the water.

She pummeled over a small waterfall, continuing her journey. Sides wasted no time in resuming his pursuit.

"Sides!" I called, taking into consideration the waterfall to a larger scale that was approaching fast. "Do it again! Use my wings!"

He nodded, searching the water for Wind again.

"Your hands!" he encouraged her when she resurfaced. "One more time!" I positioned myself above her, following at the same speed she was traveling. When I was ready, Sides jumped and flipped. Each leg landed around my wings, and I angled them slightly to allowing his footing to remain faithful. His upper half dangling, he reached down for her servos again. This time, he grabbed them.

I heaved as best I could, pulling up just as Windblade's pedes raced over the edge. We hovered above the water for a moment, Sides' pedes sliding forward slowly. I quickly thrusted everything I could into my engines, drawing from the encouragement Optimus was giving my through his spark. When I finally got them over the desired rock, I collapsed, at the last minute throwing my body to the side so I wouldn't fall on the others.

The minicons cheered from above, myself rolling onto my back and venting heavily.

"Thanks, Slick," Windblade muttered to the bot, both of them venting just as heavy as I was.

"Do us a favor?" Sides requested. "Next time you want to go white water river rafting …. Bring a raft,"

I chuckled, staring into the blue skies above me.

"Optimussss," I whined up to him. "I can't moveeee,"

" _Would the promise of a reward get you moving?_ "

….

I quickly started scaling the rock to rejoin the others, Sides and Wind following me closely behind. When I reached the top, Optimus gave me a lift over the ledge, collecting me in his arms and holding my tightly.

"See?" he kissed my helm. "You could do it,"

I grumbled, before looking to him hopefully. "Can I have my reward now?"

He pressed a firm kiss to my lips, holding it just long enough for the others to voice their disapproval of the affection.

"That's all!?" I pouted. "Shoulda stayed down there."

Windblade and Sides climbed over the edge as he set me back down, Optimus looking over Windblade in honest concern.

"You're limping,"

"Nothing a little primer and paint can't fix, sir," she chuckled nervously.

He handed her the blade she dropped, which she took with a smile, before we all resumed our search.

* * *

Optimus' knee still gave out on him occasionally, and every time it did I shot him a look. However, I found myself looking over Windblade much more frequent. I knew what was causing Optimus' pain, but I didn't know Wind's.

"I think, when the water tossed you into rocks, one must've gotten into your joint, somehow," I explained to her as she rubbed at it painfully again. "Or, one of the dents are so deep as to rub against your protoform. When we get back, I can repair it. Once I get the outer armour off, I should find the problem stupid easily,"

She nodded, rubbing at it again. "Thank you, Cara," she smiled at me. "And, thanks for the rescue,"

"Anytime, kid,"

When I looked up, the party had stopped in front of what looked to be an abandoned military op.

"I believe we have found the source of the interference," he announced, turning to look at me.

"And a perfect place for decepticons to call home," Windblade agreed.

When we got there, run down jeeps were scattered all throughout the yard.

"Hey, Optimus," I commed to him. "Since we're walking right up to the front door, can I make a little racket?"

He nodded, taking the scanner from me and resuming her search like nothing was out of the ordinary. I ducked under his arm, allowing him to direct me, before I activated my holoform a good distance away. I quietly tinkered with one of the jeeps, finding nothing visibly wrong with it besides the rust and, obviously, the lack of running. I sat in the driver's seat, noting that it was particularly comfy. I pressed the clutch, shaking the gearstick before twisting the key.

The engine turned over a a little, before the gears finally caught and it roared to life. It started smoking black from under the hood.

"That's why they're all here!" I announced, looking up at a few shocked faces. "Hey guys!"

"Cara!" Sideswipe scolded. "What are you -"

"Lighten up, Sides," I cut the engine, moving back to him. "I was just curious. Besides, look." I deactivated my holoform, my whole self going back to my frame. I caressed Optimus' spark with my own, before I twisted to look at Sides. "I didn't leave for a second,"

"It looks like an automobile graveyard," he whispered, turning back to look at the mass jeeps.

"A military installation," Drift corrected. "Perhaps for the storage and repair of old vehicles.

"No heat radiates from their engines," Jetstorm observed.

"They have not been utilized recently," Slipstream added.

Optimus, Windblade and I stopped before a door that looked like the latches had a grenade attached to it, before it exploded.

"This door looks like it's been used recently," Sideswipe muttered.

"We shall split up," Optimus announced. "Windblade, Drift and Sideswipe explore the interior. Ancora and I will observe the outside."

"So after beating Strongarm in four straight races I … " Sideswipe's voice trailed off as the three of them entered the hangar.

"Optimus," I questioned. "Was it really wise to split us up the way you did?"

"The team needs the extra support should they confront Razorpaw," he explained. "We have faced many unknowns, but as Sideswipe said, they have not,"

"Ah," I silently cursed the bot.

There was a scream from the hangar, and I turned in the direction of it, almost recognizing it immediately.

"That was Sideswipe. I'd recognize his squeal anywhere,"

"The signal we've been tracking is stronger than ever, and it's right on top of us!"

There was a growl from above, on the tower that was messing with our signals. When we turned up, we saw a tanned decetpicon glaring down at us with a satisfied grin. "Perfect," he snarled. "The autobots step right beneath my claws,"

I vented a gasp, turning to my Optimus. He was glaring up at the con, and I could feel his spark flare in protection.

But mine flared first.

As the decepticon jumped from the tower, I shoved Optimus out of it's path, taking the brunt of the impact myself. I quickly twisted to my pedes, shielding myself from one of the con's attacks, wasting no time in dealing out my own.

My Optimus was back on his pedes, trying to get around me to the con, but I kept twisting to keep him behind me, well out of the con's reach.

"Ancora, move out of the way. That is an order!" he demanded, and my spark surged at the disobedience. But, it was surging protectively much strongly.

"Optimus please get away from here!" I pleaded, wrestling with the con as he tried to climb over me to him. "Razorpaw is after the weakest among us … and right now, .. that's you!"

The con chuckled in my face. "You think _Optimus_ Prime is my target?" he laughed. "You couldn't be more wrong!" He heaved my full body over his helm, which was pretty impressive, and slammed me onto the ground. Optimus moved to charge, but an attack of fire was shot at the decepticon hunter in his hand, knocking it far out of reach.

"Just in time to save the day," I pushed myself to look, the two minicons from earlier running towards my bot. "And I'm sure we'll be showered with appreciation from it,"

I watched as Optimus grabbed a jeep, shielding their fire and ice attacks. He let out a pained groan as his knee buckled, but quickly recovered it. I pushed feelings of faith through our bond, feeling his strength build as he pushed against the attacks.

The decepticon grabbed my arm, in between my armor plating. I groaned as my energon levels started depleated, much faster than any leakage I've ever had did.

"Draining the weak and vulnerable is so much easier than slaving to bring down the able,"

What?

I tried to fight him, but my limbs wouldn't respond to me. I was just … _so tired._ My levels were dropping quickly, my spark weakening.

Optimus' started to panic beside mine, but I couldn't even bring enough energy to assure him.

Optimus let out a tired groan, the jeep and his body falling to the ground. I managed to turn towards his pained groans, seeing him lying on the ground.

"Optimus … " I muttered, trying to reach out from him through my spark.

"Razorpaw! Make sure you save a little room," the little blue minicon pointed to Optimus' downed frame.

"Little room?" the con argued, simply tossing my frame to the ground. I clattered there, unable to even lift my helm. "That's a main course compared to this trifle. Don't touch the other one,"

"Glacious and I maxed out our circuits for you!" The fiery minicon argued. "And the only reward you give us is -"

"The fact that I let you to continue to exist should be reward enough you little -"

They all grunted, a mass impact against the three of them sending them sailing across the courtyard. I mustered up the little energon I had left to brace myself on my forearms, to observe Optimus stand proudly. He charged Razorpaw, quickly dominating the fight and sending him sailing across the courtyard once more. He then turned to the two minicons. He took two jeeps, smashing the two of them together on top of the minicons, knocking their helms together and rendering them unconscious.

He rushed back to my side, where I had managed to lift my chest from the ground.

"You were, pretending to be more weak than you actually were," I observed.

He knelt down to my level, no doubt scanning my frame. "Our enemies seemed preoccupied with weaknesses. I wanted to give them a target that appeared even more debilitated than you,"

"But I don't understand," I allowed him to scoop me up, my frame relaxing as his spark calmed mine. "I wasn't injured before,"

"Maybe it was your weakness of protecting me,"

"Of all the fucked up things… " I scolded me.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Ancora," He smirked, nuzzling my nasal plating before setting me on my pedes. I laced an arm around him, working the energon I had left through my major motor controls, gaining some strength back as we walked into the hangar. "As errors go, ones for concern for others are by no means most egregious. I consider myself fortunate that I have captured a femme more protective of others than I am,"

I turned to the hangar, where there was a big glob of metal in the middle. There were muffled voices coming from it, one most clear.

"Stand clear," Optimus ordered, releasing his hold on my shoulders. He started working carefully at the rock. "I will have you three free in a moment,"

"Being encased in molten metal has finally forced Sideswipe to be silent," Drift's voice called as Optimus finished working next to him. "So please, take your time,"

"What's that Slick?" Windblade's voice rang out from in front of Optimus. "You think you can break your record and be quiet for more than five seconds?"

I settled against the wall, watching as Optimus worked.


	29. Graduation Exercises

" _And I got to be a part of a Rear Axle concert!_ "

"You did what now?" I cheered, almost as excited as Bee was. I remember his over obsession with the band, and I remember the kids found it entertaining to hear him sing along with his beeps and whirs. "How did you pull that off?"

" _Bisk and his minicons were after a soundboard, and they were at the Thunderdome where the concert was at. Cara, tell Optimus I didn't mean to expose myself to the humans, but before I even knew what was happening there we were on stage!_ " I smiled, trailing behind my Optimus' bumper as we drove to the next destination. I had given my Optimus command back, as he was getting stronger, and missions were more his thing anyways. " _The battle was_ perfect _with the music, Cara! And, I got a picture with them with Russell! It was the greatest night of my_ life!"

"Awesome, Bee," I smiled again. "Anything else interesting happening over there while we're gone?"

" _Has Strongarm messed with any of my stuff?_ " Sideswipe commed me, quickly passing Optimus and I.

"You shouldn't pass two massive vehicles on a road, Sides," I scolded.

" _Grimlock kind of had the same problem Bulkhead had once,"_ Bee continued. " _Oh! Soundwave came to the scrapyard._ "

"Soundwave?" I remembered Venom's words, about how he was coming back eventually. "How did -"

" _We opened a ground bridge, and I'm assuming Soundwave happened to be in the right place at the right time and opened one right next to it. Bam, shadowzone entrance._ "

"How did he get to earth?"

" _We're assuming that after Megatron fell to the earth, Soundwave followed him. And when he was revived by Unicron, Soundwave couldn't follow him, leaving him stranded on Earth._ "

"What happened?"

" _I was locked into the Shadowzone, and Denny, Russell and Fixit were the only ones that were able to help me. Soundwave started using ground bridges as his defense, so we opened one at the same time he did, I came into the normal zone and sent the two of them back into it!_ "

"That's great, Bee," I smiled. "But, how are we sure he isn't going to just try it again?"

" _We're not … but I'm not going in there to try to face him again,_ "

"Yeah I wouldn't either."

" _How's Optimus?_ "

"Same old, same old," I smiled, taking in the view of my love's frame gliding down the road. "He's leading the mission now. I finally relented."

" _I'll let you get to it, then._ " I could hear his smile. " _I miss you, sis,_ "

"I miss you too Bee. Love ya!"

" _Keep in touch,_ "

Optimus' engine revved, his speed increasing to where he was driving beside Sideswipe. Drift caught up to me.

" _Windblade,_ " he called to her. " _Are there any new readings?_ "

" _Initial reports are confirmed, Optimus,_ " she reported from above. " _The security field protecting one of my supply caches has been engaged. But I can't tell if there's been a breech._ "

Optimus stepped on it, and I struggled to stay behind him. I understood his urgency, as did the others, as we headed for the pier. When we rolled to a stop, everyone transformed, battle ready, Windblade dropping from the sky. I transformed my servos into my blades, running beside my Optimus as he held his decepticon hunter in his servo.

We ran around the building, spreading out a little.

"Apart from the broken gate, I don't see any signs of activity," I reported, looking around to double check my findings.

"Proceed cautiously, stealth team," Optimus echoed me.

"That way," Windblade pointed, the six of us following behind her as she led us towards, hopefully, her cache.

"Master Drift," Slipstream muttered behind me. I strained my audios to eavesdrop. "Jetstorm was wondering -"

" _We_ were wondering," Jetstorm quickly corrected.

"We were wondering - respectfully - if you felt we have progressed enough in our studies to perhaps making tactical decisions for ourselves?"

"We have fought many decepticons. We feel we are ready!" Jetstorm added.

"Yeah Drift!" I facepalmed. "The little guys can't spend their whole lives at the end of your leash."

"My students will complete their training when _I_ decide. And -"

"Okay, kids!" I interrupted, tugging Sideswipe far ahead of the three trailing in the back. "Whereas I think it's very brave, and respectful, that the Slip and Jet have asked Drift such a question. I agree that it is definitely something the _three of them_ need to discuss. However, now, in the middle of what could be a combat mission isn't the appropriate time."

"Sorry, Cara," the two minicons bowed their helms, and I took a moment to smile at them before turning back to Sides.

"And they _definitely_ don't need an outsider _butting in_ ,"

"Sorry, Cara," Sides muttered, hanging his helm as well.

I lightly nudged his arm, before jogging to my Optimus' side. Windblade had led us to a hangar door, which she opened. Optimus moved his sword to the side, expecting an attack but we got none. I moved past him and into the hangar where it looked to be a mess hall. I transformed my blades back as Optimus put away his weapons, the two of us connecting as we moved forward.

"Windblade," Drift asked behind us. "Have many of your caches been compromised over the years?"

"No, none," she answered. "I've stashed weapons and supplies all over. My security systems have always held,"

She led us to what seemed to be a door, like the size of a garage door almost. It was seemingly normal, no out of the ordinary security over it.

But I knew her better than that.

"Whatever security systems you had up doesn't look like they're still there, Windy." Sideswipe shoved past all of us, Windblade smirking as he walked to the door. "I'll take point in case some-" he yelped in pain as he walked into her system, it overloading his circuits and sending him reeling back into us. I caught him quickly, ignoring the faint shocks that ran through my own frame.

"Oh, thank you for taking point, Sideswipe," Jetstorm joked as I eased him onto the ground.

"What hit me!?" he demanded, sitting up.

Windblade smiled.

"Look at the wall out of the corner of your eye," she instructed, pulling Sides to his pedes.

"Tricky," he exclaimed, pulling his helm back a little.

"Light benders in there keep the force field and the controls almost completely hidden." she paused, looking at it herself. "It should be dark blue," she started typing on the wall, where there seemed to be nothing. "The field's taken some damage, but it hasn't been breached," The field disengaged, allowing Wind to open the door for us, Optimus stepping in.

When I didn't join him, he raised an optic ridge at me.

"I'd rather not be in there…" I hesitated, looking at him. The feeling of being confined in such a small place worried me.

He nodded his understanding, moving to the side so Windblade could enter. I leaned over Drift's shoulder plates, peering inside nonetheless.

"An impressive collection," Optimus complemented.

Wind walked over to a weapon, hiking it up and looking over her trophies. "This is one of my larger stashes. Nothing appears to be missing,"

I backed out of the way as Optimus exited the room, the others following.

"Is it safe to leave your supplies here?" Drift questioned.

"Should be," she replied. "But I want to repair the field before we go. And we should see if anything in there might be of use to us when we -" she was cut off from an explosion above, parts of the ceiling falling to the ground in front of her.

There was chuckling from above, myself moving to my Optimus' side, a servo reaching out for Wind.

Many minicons appeared from the hole, firing down on us. Optimus quickly pushed me behind him, shielding me from the shots and moving away from the direct line of fire.

"Optimus!" I called as they started jumping from the ceiling. "The cache!"

He ran over to the door, myself not far behind. I transformed my blade, striking down on the minicons as Optimus tried to pull the door shut. When it wouldn't move, he pulled his own weapon out, glaring at the cons.

"Just a bunch of peewee pushovers," Sides complained. He tossed the table he was using as a shield, taking out a good bunch of them. "I don't think even an army of them could dent my -" he was cut off by a shot to the chest, sending him back into the wall.

Optimus and I kept battling them away from the cache, taking each threat we encountered down. They weren't trying very hard, only moving towards us British style from the revolutionary war. One easy swipe and they were gone.

The others weren't having the same luck.

Optimus pushed forward as I hung back, Windblade dropping between us.

"We have to close the freezer door, and reactivate the security system," she reported.

He looked back to me.

"Cara! You're the closest. Can you close the door?"

When I turned to try to reach the controls, I noticed an out of the ordinary movement. A few of the opposing minicons had gotten ahold of a rocket launcher, and .. had it aimed for Slip and Jet!

I dodged forward, hearing Drift call for his students, but they ignored him. I quickly knocked them out of the way, but I wasn't fast enough. The shot hit my in the upper femur, sending me backwards a few feet. It hurt like a sonuvabitch, but I pulled myself to my pedes anyways. I didn't even look at it, as I began fighting off the little fuckers as fast as they came.

Wind's turbines pushed the minicons attacking me away from myself, Optimus calling for me. "Cara, use the control pannel to lock yourself in the freezer!"

 _Fuck_.

I knew better than to argue with Optimus, so I did as instructed. I hit the button on the lock, crawling in and falling onto my back as the door moved.

But then it stopped.

Blaster fire was flying dangerously close to the top of my head, I was afraid to sit up. When I twisted to look out the doorway, I only saw my attackers. I transformed my servo into my own blaster, firing at will. I searched the air above them for my Optimus, but I found nothing. And they kept shooting and shooting and shooting…

"Cara!"

The door started closing again, a blade chopping at a few minicons before somebot flipping in the door.

Drift looked down at me when the door finally shut, myself relaxing against the floor a little.

"What's going on out there?" I questioned, laying flat on my back and looking straight up.

"Optimus Prime and Windbalde have retreated down a set of tunnels deep within this base," he explained, pressing an audio against the door. "Sideswipe and my students retreated, but I have no doubt the minicons followed,"

"What could've made them attack like that?"

"They must have another decepticon leading their strike," Drift said, kneeling down beside me. He gently brushed his digits against the open wound in my leg. It was still leaking energon, however many of the main lines sealed shut. "Thank you, for saving my students,"

"You're welcome," I hissed through clenched dermas. I scanned my leg, finding the wound had made an entrance into my main piston. I narrowed my optics at the thing, before searching the room around me. "Fuck,"

"What is it?"

"The shot got to my piston," I explained to him, still searching the shelves and things looking for _something_ I could use to fix this thing. "I can't find a suitable device to repair it. And if I wish to minimize my downtime, I should -"

The PA system the joint apparently had buzzed to life, a deep, mumbled voice spoke. " _Attention, autobots. This is General Stockade. In addition to our own firepower, we have copious amounts of ordnance raided from human military installations. You will either surrender and grant me immediate access to the weapon storage unit your injured Prime occupies, or you will all be destroyed. You may consider your nonexistent options. Do not take long._ "

" _Optimus to Drift, Ancora and Sideswipe. Are you alright_?" My bot called through the comm.

" _Yeah, sorta,_ " Sides replied. " _I think we're in an armory, but the weapons are long gone. The building's seriously reinforced, so Colonel Crackpot out there is going to have a heck of a time getting in._ "

" _What about Master Drift?_ " Jetstorm asked.

" _And Cara?_ " Slipstream added.

"We are alright," Drift responded. "We're inside Windblade's cache, and the security system is active."

" _Cara?_ "

"I am alright, Optimus," I assured him. "It's just a wound, nothing that I haven't encountered before,"

"The shot got to her pistons, Optimus Prime," Drift replied to Optimus, confirming what I was trying to keep from him. "She's slowly leaking energon,"

"But not enough to be concerned," I assured the bot before he could start freaking out. I gave Drift a pointed glare as I continued. "No need to make rash decisions, I'll be fine until we get out of this mess. I looked at the force shield, as it was flickering in the damage it had sustained. "I do not think the field could take a real attack, it's taken heavy damage, and with my leg I am unable to perform accurately."

" _Understood,_ " Optimus rumbled. " _Sideswipe, I assume our enemy is keeping watch on our doors. How long would it take you to escape by other means?_ "

" _You mean carve my way out with my decepticon hunter? This place was built to hold off everything short of nuclear weapons. I'd say a couple hours, if I'm lucky,_ "

" _Yes. We would say the same here. Optimus to scrapyard, do you read me, Fixit?_ "

" _Optimus Prime,_ " the little minicon cheered. " _What a pleasant supplies - surmise, surprise! How are you, is your weather pleasant? Here, it's sunny with a chance of -"_

" _We are pinned down, Fixit,_ " Optimus cut off his rumbling with a low growl. " _Can Bumblebee's team provide assistance?_ "

" _Negative,_ " came his reply. " _They're on a mission, and interference at their location has prevented me from contacting them._ "

"Can you give us any intel on a decepticon by the name of Stockade?" I questioned, ignoring the pain in my thigh which started throbbing.

" _Stockade. The most decorated general in the decepticon army. He tried to stage a military coup but failed. The only time he was ever conquered in battle. Until you defeat him, of course,_ "

"Thanks for your confidence, kid," I muttered.

" _Thank you, Fixit,_ " Optimus rumbled.

" _I'll continue to try to contact Lieutenant Bumblebee,_ "

" _Please do. Optimus out,_ "

" _Seems like the best bot to ask for advice is on the other side,_ " Windblade muttered.

" _You forget, Windblade,_ " Optimus rumbled. " _I've been leading troops into battle for a long time myself, and I know a few things about tactics._ _Such as, how to buy us time as we plan our escape._ "

I vented a pained sigh, leaning back against the wall. Drift moved to me, his servos hovering above my wound, like he was unsure how to assist me.

"There's nothing you can do, Drift," I said through gritted dermas. "It'll be fine,"

"You're losing more energon," he reasoned, lifting on my knee a little to expose the larger pool beneath me. "It needs to heal."

"It needs to heal correctly," I mended his statement.

" _Drift,_ " Optimus commed. " _What's your status?_ "

"Don't say it," I threatened.

"I am fine, Optimus," he responded, but looked down at me. "However, Ancora is losing more energon by the minute, and she is in a lot of pain,"

"Traitor."

" _Is there a base address device available to you similar to the one Stockade is using?_ "

I scanned the room. "Over there," I pointed towards the door.

"Yes," Drift commed back.

I activated my holoform a few steps ahead of Drift, causing the bot to still. I focused all my energy into the holoform, my actual frame going limp.

"What am I saying?"

* * *

" _General Stockade,_ " my voice echoed above me, through the speakers. " _I speak to you from inside the weapon's storage chamber._ "

"Finally!" he rumbled from the outside.

" _Among the weapons stored here is a 'doomsday device' that can destroy this planet and all on it. Let my teammates and I go, or I will detonate this device, obliterating_ you _with us._ "

"She's bluffing," he chuckled. "Run another scan on the cache," he must've been talking to one of his minicons.

"Now what, Oh-Mighty-Leader?" I called to Drift who had an open comm to Optimus.

" _Uh, guys,_ " Sideswipe called back. " _Hey, we have an idea,_ "

* * *

" _Yo, Corporal Punishment!_ " Sides' voice echoed over the PA system this time, myself in my frame again, leaning against the wall with a few weapons laying about in my servos. Drift stood in front of me, defensively ready to take on any threat. " _This is one of your prisoners in the building across the way! If you promise not to hurt me, I'll tell you everything I know about Autobots here on this planet!_ "

"Sideswipe you little traitor!" I played along, mustering as much hate as I could from the pain from the wound I sported. "You wouldn't dare!"

"That's valuable intel," Stockade agreed from the other side of the door. "Bring that bot to me, double time!"

"He is coming, Sideswipe," Drift commed.

There was a moment of silence, before the con outside called out angrily. "Base to field team. Why haven't you brought me that bot yet!? Respond. Respond!" there was a pause. "I knew it was a bluff. Open fire!"

They began firing on the door of the cache, the force field absorbing the shots, but it's static led me to believe that it wasn't as steady as one might hope.

"I hope Sideswipe knew what he was doing," I muttered.

The door exploded in, the force field finally giving.

"Drift, move!" I ordered, hoisting the gun I held in my servo to balance on my uninjured knee, aiming directly through the door.

"Wait!" he demanded, stepping in front of the charging weapon to stop me, just as I noticed it.

"Your minions will no longer threaten our master, or our Prime, Stockade," Slipstream threatened, himself and his brother standing defensively in front of the cache.

"They are nothing, go through them," the general demanded.

The two minicons started battling the army, myself growing worried for them. By the looks of it, Drift was worrying as well, but he wasn't leaving my side.

" _Now_ may I fire?" I questioned as a team of them rolled into the cache.

Drift sidestepped, myself firing the weapon as soon as they were clear.

Slipstream appeared in the doorway, just as Drift was finishing off the one stray minicon that evaded my blast.

"Ancora, master Drift," he smiled.

"Hey!" I cheered, tugging a grenade free of its hold. "Look what I found!" I pressed the button, tossing the bomb at the group of minicons forming behind my bot.

"Many thanks, Ancora," he said after the explosion, and realizing the danger he was in.

"Call me that again, and I'll tear your helm off," I smiled at him.

"Yes Prime," he smiled back, hurriedly rushing out of the room before I could retaliate.

Drift moved to the doorway, taking his katanas and disassembling the minicons that attempted to enter. Occasionally he'd step out of the way, giving me time to fire my weapon, before resuming his attack.

Two of the minicons set up shot just out of my range, firing at Drift. While my protection was pinned down, three more rolled up. I fired my last rocket at them, exploding the three but not the two snipers.

"Drift I'm out," I stated, tossing the useless weapon to the side.

Two rushed past the snipers, rushing me. I grabbed the nearest thing to me, an energon cube and a rusted piece of metal, throwing them at the invaders. It knocked them out, just enough to get them off my ass.

"Fight!" Stockade growled from the outside. "I trained you better than this! It's only one cornered autobot, a wounded Prime, and two juvenile minicons!"

"Not _only_ them, Stockade!"

My spark eased with the sound of his voice.

"Prepare to be defeated by your better, Optimus Prime," the decepticon growled.

"Prepare to be deeply disappointed, Stockade," My spark shuttered at the gravity of his voice.

I searched around me for a cover for Drift. I couldn't find anything that could cover him, but …

"Fire in the hole!" I hollered, tossing a grenade towards the snipers. The firing ceased for a moment, before the bomb went off. "Just like Wheeljack showed me," I smiled, leaning back against the wall.

I heard my Optimus cry out in pain, and I could feel his spark swelling in growing anger, and a new pain in his back. I sent waves of healing towards him, helping boost his self repair protocols to activate.

"A temporary defeat," the con groaned. "I shall return,"

"Not anytime soon," Optimus rumbled in return, myself smiling and finally relaxing.

Drift moved to my side, where he inspected the wound again. "You're still losing energon," he stated.

"No shit," I growled back. "Here's a plus, I literally just threw an energon cube somewhere, I'm sure I can refuel and be in tip top shape in no time," he handed me another one, which I accepted with a smile.

"Hey guys - Ow!" Sideswipe poked his helm around the door, and out of instinct I threw the cube at him. "Three times in one day!?"

"Sorry, Sides," I shrugged.

The minicons ran up to Drift. "May we assist you?" Slipstream offered.

"No," he deadpanned. "You performed admirably today," he struggled to compliment. "Without my guidance. Your education is complete. You are no longer my students."

Sideswipe cheered from the door, where I turned to give him a glare, but was met with a dissappointed glare from my Optimus. I waved to him.

"But, Master Drift," Jetstorm spoke. "We do not wish to be on our own."

"We wish to remain under your tutelage," Slipstream added, ignoring the flabbergaster ' _what_ ' from Sides. "Now that we have begun deploying from other autobots, surely there are many new combat techniques that you could teach us."

"Yes," Drift agreed. "One thousand and thirty five of them,"

"Also, we ignored your call to join with you so we could fight on our own," Jet continued. "Clearly, we have not mastered respect. Please, may we stay with you?"

"You may," Drift agreed, but before I could cheer, he continued. "But this trend of disrespect concerns me, and it will not be tolerated,"

"Yes teacher,"

Optimus moved towards me, but before anything could be said, a ground bridge opened behind Windblade, a green bot walking through.

"Anybody here need punching!?"

"Grimlock," Sideswipe almost cheered.

"We got back from our mission, and Fixit said we really needed to get the ground bridge working cause you were in trouble," the massive bot animated.

"He was correct," Optimus confirmed, turning slightly. "We have captives and supplies that would best be stored in the scrapyard. And," he turned to glare at me. "We are in need of a few repairs,"

I flipped him off.

To which he responded to scoop me up.

"How disrespectful," he commented at my still raised middle digit.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I faked an apologetic look. "Would you rather I be an obedient femme, _master_?" I smirked at him as he turned to move towards the bridge.

He scrunched his faceplates in thought, before he smirked right back at me. "I wouldn't mind _that_ change in attitude in the berthroom, _Ancora Prime,_ " he rumbled in his low, dangerous tone.

"Gross!" Sideswipe protested as we made it to the bridge. "It's like … Ma and Pops talking about, y'know, -"

"Please do not continue," Slip urged, Jet looking disturbed.

I smirked at the disgusted faces of Sides and the minicons.

"Autobots," Optimus twisted to talk to the others. "The time has come to go home,"


	30. Decepticon Island pt 1

"Ancora Prime!"

I groaned, freezing in my steps. I turned - well, best I could considering - to face the bot that had called my name.

"Can I _help_ you!?" I growled, placing my servos on my hips.

"Sit your aft back down," Optimus growled at me, walking to me until our chest plates were touching.

"Why?"

"Becuase your leg still isn't fully repaired,"

"Why?"

"Becuase we are unable to asses the amount of damage down to it due to the sheer amount of shrapnel that was embedded into your piston,"

"Why?"

"Because you insisted on fighting while you were injured,"

"Why?"

"Because you're the most stubborn femme I have ever met in my life!"

I smiled at my small victory, making Optimus annoyed. "Why?"

He glared at me, before grabbing me by the waist, physically bending my frame into a sitting position, and placing me back upon the seat I was previously in. We were next to the Command Center, the rest of the bots moving about the base in search of training, or another way to aggravate Denny Clay.

When we returned from our earlier mission, Fixit was unable to properly deal with my wound. Due to its depthness, and the length of it, we are unable to properly find a suitable metal to sustain it. I knew what needed to be done, but I can't do it. We need to reconstruct the frame itself, melting pieces of metal together to form a wide enough replacement, and continue the process until we get to the surface, where a thicker, more sturdy metal needed to be used as my armor.

And, as my lovely sparkmate pointed out, there was a lot of shrapnel embedded in the wound. Russell, Denny and Fixit spent a couple days searching and tugging out each and every piece, Optimus holding my servos and frame so I wouldn't accidentally thrash and kill them.

"The more you move your leg, the more it will hurt," my Optimus scolded me again.

"I know this!" I argued him.

"Then why are you fighting it?"

"Really, Mr. I-need-to-go-out-into-the-field-even-though-i'm-nowhere-near-at-my-full-strength-and-abilities."

He narrowed his optics at me, myself doing the same.

"Uh…" Fixit's hesitant voice called from the command center, where I was confined to a single space. "Primes? We have a signal,"

I brightened up.

"No," Optimus deadpanned, glaring at me.

"But -"

"I said no," he growled back.

I crossed my arms in front of my chest, leaning back against command. "Can I -"

"No," he argued again, kissing my forehelm softly despite his rough voice.

* * *

During my downtime, I had assisted Russell in designing a vehicle mode for Grimlock. Not one he could transform into, but at least one where he wasn't confined to running, being in the back of the pack, everywhere he went, allowing him to be exposed out in the open. Of course, I was forbidden from assisting to actually build the thing, but I still got to paint some of it.

Which, according to Windblade's report, he was enjoying tremendously.

" _The Lieutenant and Optimus haven't seen eye-to-eye since your Away Team's return,_ " Strongarm voiced to Windblade, which was voiced over the audio and visual feedback I was getting from the femme.

It was the truth. Optimus got his taste of leading again, and everyone knows how Optimus leads. And, after all that time convincing Bumblebee that he wasn't Optimus Prime, Optimus now wants Bee to be Optimus Prime.

" _They'll figure it out,_ " Sideswipe offered. " _In the meantime, Windblade and I have become such a phenomenal team-within-the-team, we practically don't need anyone else,_ "

I scoffed.

" _If by team, you mean you get in trouble and I save your chassis, I wouldn't mind a few more teammates, then._ " Windblade countered, and I could just _see_ the smirk the jet would've been sporting. " _Strongarm, while we were away I thought of a few cool combat maneuvers we could try,_ "

" _Really? Me too!_ "

" _With our Primes always finding a way to injure themselves, I figured we might as well strengthen the team best we can,_ "

"Hey!" I interrupted in mock offense. "I can handle myself, thank you,"

" _Says the bot stranded to a single section of the base,_ " Wind countered.

"Only becuase Optimus is a prick and won't let me go,"

" _With good reason,_ " Strongarm voiced. " _You shouldn't injure yourself anymore than you already are, Cara,_ "

I growled. "Everyone's ganging up on me,"

The bots all transformed, slowly walking forward.

"Hey Wind," I encouraged over the public comm. "Move a little closer to Optimus' backside wouldja? It's a great view, and I miss it,"

" _Gross!_ " Sideswipe complained as Optimus' spark sent amused feelings to me.

" _Glad I'm not the brain-warped con that has to face all of us at once,_ " Grimlock suddenly broke the silence.

Bee signaled for them to stop, the whole team getting into defensive stances. I peered at the screen, Windblade watching the spot where the bushes were rustling.

Someone suddenly burst out of it, slamming into Bumblebee before hitting the ground, and hard.

" _Clampdown_?" Sideswipe questioned as the con drug itself up and scooted away from the bushes. " _What's got you so spooked_?"

The con spoke undecipherable words, pointed towards the bushes in which he came from. Bumblebee and Optimus turned back towards it, and I strained to see a few faint lights emerging from the darkness.

" _You_?" they both exclaimed at once.

"What?" I voiced through the comm. "What is it, who is it?" I got no response. "Optimus Prime, speak!"

" _Ratchet_!"

 _What._

" _Undertone, careful! I need that!_ "

"That is him," I confirmed, searching the screen for a visual on the bot. When I got one, my spark sang its praises alongside Optimus' at the health of our old teammate.

" _My old friend,_ " Optimus rumbled, resting a servo on the bot's shoulder plate.

" _But you were gone,_ " Ratchet reasoned. " _Destroyed,_ "

" _The Primes rescued me just before my spark was extinguished,_ " Optimus explained.

" _By the motherboard,_ " the medic exclaimed, and I could hear the excitement in his voice pattern. " _It's good to see you._ "

" _Hello, Ratchet,_ "

" _Bumblebee!_ " The bot exclaimed, even more excited than he was to see Optimus, so it seemed. " _Are any of our other former comrades here, on earth?_ "

" _Cara is back at the base -_ "

"Cara _is here!?_ " he looked as if he was about to jump up and down. My spark sang next to my Optimus'. " _Is she alright? Last I heard she was still recharging underneath Optimus' memoriam,_ "

" _She actually is in need of medical assistance,_ " Bee stated.

Ratchet looked to Optimus for confirmation.

" _My sparkmate took some heavy damage in our last encounter with our decepticon foes. She and our minicon are unable to repair her injury, and she has been confined to base until we find a suitable solution,_ "

" _Well, lucky for you, Undertone and I happened to be on this quadrant,_ "

" _Indeed,_ "

" _Ratchet,_ " Bee interrupted. " _This, is my team,_ " he gestured to the remaining bots who were watching the whole spill with weary optics, until all optics fell on the decepticon slowly trying to creep away.

" _Hey guys,_ " Clampdown tried to cheer. " _I'm the new bot on the team! I'm …_ " he trailed off as the bots advanced.

* * *

Grimlock was finishing his thrilling tale.

"And that's how we came here, what we know about decepticon island, and who we've punched since we've been here. Does that all make sense?"

"Sure," Ratchet agreed, standing to assess the damage done to the stasis pod across from the one he was currently assessing.

"Seriously?" Sideswipe and Strongarm questioned, unbelieving, while Grimlock looked thrilled.

"Guys," I eased, dragging my pede behind me as I walked towards them. Optimus had went back to retrieve me, but I was already there so might as well finish the job. "It's Ratchet, he's a trained medical professional, he'll understand anyone."

"Ancora Prime!" the medic cheered, moving to embrace me before he paused. "What is this?" he bent to look at my leg, which was behind me still. "Sit," he pushed on my shoulder, myself following his command and landing on my aft. "You shouldn't be walking,"

"That's what Chief says," I agreed as he grabbed at my leg, scanning it.

Optimus came pounding down the hall, fixing a death glare on my person. I simply waved at him, before turning back to Ratchet.

"If you can reconstruct a metal from earth to form the layers of my armor, my nanites should be able to heal the rest of it. They just can't heal an exposed piston, with so many energon lines with repairs on them."

"And with Earth's limited resources, you were unable to find a suitable substitute," Ratchet concluded, to which I nodded. "Lucky for us, Undertone has a mass collection of reusable parts. One of them containing what I believe is just enough metal to do the job,"

I grinned. "You're the best, doc,"

"My name is Ratchet," he scolded, before his faceplates softened as he took metal from his small companion. "And thank you,"

I looked to Optimus, who seemed to ease knowing that I was being fixed.

* * *

"So, Ratchet," Denny Clay questioned, watching from my shoulder plates as Ratchet worked. I knew the bot didn't appreciate talking while he was working, but I was curious as to the humans question, _and_ Ratchet's answer. "What brought you to our neck of the solar system?"

Ratchet's servos stilled in his work on my knee, but he quickly resumed. "After we thought Optimus was no more, I joined Ancora to help rebuild Cybertron. When Cara was dragged into the High Council, I took over a section of the reconstruction. Overtime, however, I learned that the bots I was working with blamed Optimus, his sparkmate, and those who followed him, for the ruination of our world, and they wanted to forget he ever existed."

My spark hurt at this information, though it wasn't _new_ information. I knew that there were these thoughts going around, especially amongst the High Council, but it still hurt to hear it from another bot. The citizens wouldn't ever act upon their thoughts, as I was still there, suffering, and they saw I was suffering. As mean as the citizens of Cybertron were, I do not believe they were cruel. They understood what I was going through.

"That's ridiculous," Windblade stated, and I turned to see the gathering crowd. "The Primes' team saved the galaxy,"

"That's what I tried to tell them," Ratchet continued. "In response, I was given a job tracking down war criminals. Undertone here became my partner," he took a moment to gesture to the minicon holding a piece of my metal together as Ratchet welded.

"Essentially, you were banished," Drift summarized.

"Exactly," Ratchet looked up at me, as I was studying him carefully. "But it was better than imprisonment, which I feared might be my fate if I protested,"

"Why didn't you come to me?" I questioned lightly.

"You and Bumblebee were fighting the locals about allowing you to remain below the Optimus statue, to rest at night. I didn't want you to be the center of even more controversial opinion," he went back to his work. "I've caught many fugitives, but this one took me years to track down," he patted the stasis pod beside him. "And the chase brought me to earth. As I was wrapping up, I came across your Clampdown, and then, happily, all of you,"

"It is good to have you by my side once more, Ratchet," Optimus smiled softly, meeting my optics. "Will you stay to help me uncover the truth about this decepticon island?"

I rolled my optics as Bumblebee twisted angrily. "Yes," he stated firmly. "As team leader, I agree. We'd be lucky to have you with us,"

Ratchet looked up at me.

"They're having a pissing match," I whispered to him. "As member of the High Council, I grant the permission to stay,"

Ratchet smiled.

"Thank you," he addressed the three of us. "I'd be happy to stay and assist,"

"Great," Bee smiled. "Drift, Sideswipe, let's wake up Clampdown and see if we can get us some intel about decepticon island. Everyone else, at ease,"

As the bots dispersed, I watched as Strongarm observed Bee leave with long optics.

"Go get him," I commented. She looked at me with wide optics. "Just say it, we're all thinking it,"

She nodded, before chasing after him.

"There seems to be conflict floating about the team," Ratchet observed, working on my outer armor.

I vented a sigh. "When Bumblebee and I first came to earth again, it was decided between us that Bee would be leading. I was just there to assist when needed. Bee struggled in the beginning, he kept trying to be like my Optimus … and he's not. It took us a while to get him to realize that. Then, once we got Optimus back, it was agreed that Optimus would stay if Bumblebee realized that he was here to be his equal. Which, technically, still meant I was above Optimus since I wasn't doing anything different on earth, just being a leech, depressed sack. So now, I let Optimus start leading missions again, I believe he got a taste again, and wants to resume command. But now that Bumblebee has been leading his team, and leading it well I might add, he doesn't want to surrender it to Optimus,"

"So like you said," Ratchet smiled. "A .. pissing? Contest."

"Indeed,"

He chuckled, turning back to my wound. "This will be healed in no time. I want you to stay off it, but once we get more info on this island, you can join us,"

"Got it, doc," I smiled.

"Don't call me that,"

* * *

The bots had Clampdown near the command center, a bright light shining down on the con's optics. It as almost pitiful, if it wasn't a con. Optimus and Bumblebee loomed high above him, glaring at him.

"Talk, Clampdown," Bumblebee demanded lowly. "What is Decepticon Island?"

"Where is it located?" Optimus added, just as low and intimidating.

"How many decepticons are there?" Drift asked.

"What is their objective?" Windblade.

"Is Steeljaw somehow involved?" Strongarm.

"Those two took my questions!" Sideswipe complained, grabbing the con's shoulder plates. Grimlock chuckled maniacally in the shadows, grinning like a mad bot.

"Guys!" I interrupted, moving the light away from his optics and moving to him. He looked up at me curiously, Optimus and the others doing the say. "Give the poor con a break, he's probably traumatized after that encounter from Ratchet," I heard the bot in question chuckle in the background, observing the scene with Denny, Russell and Fixit. I turned to Clampdown, tugging his frame carefully into mine, holding him close. "They're not that bad I promise," I soothed him.

"Ancora -"

"Hush," I demanded of Optimus. "Can you tell me where this Island is, so we can get these bots to bother some poor other con?"

Clampdown looked up to me, leaning into my embrace. He looked back to Optimus, who was glaring at him. He yelped, before retreating back into me.

"I don't know where it is!" he looked up to me, promise in his optics. "Really I don't,"

Grimlock pounded his fists together.

And the con fainted.

"And he's out," Russell observed. "Just like all the others we've questioned,"

"And just what was that, Ancora?" Optimus demanded of me.

"Ya'll had the bad cop under control," I reasoned. "I was trying to mix it with a good cop. It almost worked," I smirked at him.

An alarm sounded before anything else could be said. We turned to Fixit, who was already running scans.

"Unidentified Cybertronian life signal coming from the front gate," he reported.

"Let's go," I called, already moving for the gate, servos transforming into blade. My leg screamed at me, but I ignored it. I just had to readjust to the new metals, work the welds some, it'll be just fine.

"Hit it, Denny," Bee ordered as the others gathered around me, weapons drawn as mine. Denny hit the button to open the gate, before running for cover.

When the gate was finally open, a little Fixit - like minicon rolled forward, swaying slightly on his struts. He was dirty, dented, worn, his optics darkened. Worst of all, he had a little collar hanging from his neck, and it wasn't a light one.

"Help me," he begged, turning to me. "Please,"

He tipped forward, but I caught his frame before he face planted into the dirt.

"Sweet Solus Prime!" Fixit moved from behind the bots.

The minicon in my servos flinched away from me. "Hey," I eased his fears, his bright blue optics looking up at me in fear. "Hey, it's alright," I promised him. "You have nothing to fear here,"

"Ancora Prime," Fixit called. "If I may take this bot into my own servos, I'd gladly care for his needs,"

I looked down to the little guy. "Is that alright with you?"

He looked at Fixit, than back to me. "Yes ma'am,"

I smiled, helping the bot back to his struts. I stood as the two minicons rolled away, Optimus wrapping his arm around me. I turned to look at him, his face soft.

"Do you think … "

"Yes," he rumbled.

* * *

Fixit was buffing the guests' back, the other looking very much content as they continued their small chatter.

"I can't believe you know Flowchart, Schematic, and Rundown," Fixit smiled, pulling his buffer away.

The guest stretched his back struts. "Of course. We all received our uploads together,"

"Ha! What a small universe!"

"Hate to interrupt the reunion," Bee walked forward. "But you were going to tell us where you came from. Toolbox, was it?"

"Like Fixit, I was a caretaker and prisoner guard aboard the prison ship the _Alchmor_ ," he explained.

"Are there more decepticon prisoners?" Strongarm questioned.

"Many more," Toolbox continued to explain. "Your section of the _Alchemor_ broke off the main vessel as it plummeted through this planet's atmosphere. There was a third section that broke from that, and then the remainder of the ship crashed just off the coast of what the human's call Crown City."

"How does a giant spaceship crash into a bay without anyone noticing?" Russell asked, unbelieving.

"Prison ships are continuously cloaked to keep them from attack by raiders looking to free criminal associates."

"I remember that!" Fixit exclaimed. "They're also cloaked to keep from agitating native populations when the ships need to land and resupply."

"Human meteorologists would have explained any giant waves caused by the splashdown as strange weather phenomena," Ratchet added, standing on the other side of my Optimus.

"The ship still sits in the water just off the shore," Toolbox continued.

"Decepticon Island," Bee smiled.

"In the chaos that followed our crash," Toolbox explained. "Our prisoners escaped, and overthrew my fellow minicons. They fitted us with inhibitory collars, so we couldn't transform or access our built in weapons. And, they made us their slaves," he bowed his helm.

Fixit vented a gasp, rolling forward. "Minicons live to serve, but that's horri - horri - horri - horri - horrible!"

"Three decepticons took charge, Saberhorn, Glowstrike and Scorponok. They've been sending decepticons into the mainland to gather parts and fuel. They intend to fix the _Alchemor_ so it can leave earth and plunder the galaxy. They're almost ready."

"How'd you find us?" I asked gently.

"I heard our decepticon overseers discuss that there are autobots nearby. I took a chance and managed to escape."

"We must free the rest of the minicons, and put Glowstrike, Scorponok, Saberhorn and the rest of the decepticons back in stasis where they belong." Drift muttered, absently touching the minicons on his forearms.

"Not Scorponok," Bee smiled triumphantly. "We've already caught him,"

"There's a new member of the leadership trio, a newcomer. He resembles an earth wolf,"

"Steeljaw," Strongarm growled.

"Another good reason to wrap up this Decepticon Island situation quickly." Bumblebee agreed.

"Hey," I smiled down to Toolbox. "Let me see if I can't get this thing off you,"

He looked hesitant. "But if you fail, and it senses it's being tampered with, it'll kill me,"

I transformed, activating my holoform and directing her to walk out. My hair was pulled back into a single french braid that landed in the middle of my back, my boots thudding against the floor as I walked forward. I smiled at his shocked faceplates. "It's still me," I assured him. "I'm familiar with this kind of collar, it's like the ones that we banished throughout the lower class citizens before I moved to put harsher punishments against those that didn't obey the law created to end slavery for good," I eased with my super white smile. He eased a little at my words. "The locking, and shocking mechanism runs on a frequency. If a bot - or con - plays a frequency at the exact opposite level, it will unlock."

I pressed my ear against the collar, using my bot frame's enhanced audios to listen to it. I felt the vibrations, judging the depth and attempting to search my processor for the same thing. When I finally found it, I transformed, my holoform deactivating, before playing that opposite frequency.

The collar disengaged, falling the the ground useless as ever. I picked it up, handing it to the little guy. "Here," I smiled. "Throw it high," I transformed my servo into a blaster, so he'd get what my goal was.

He smiled himself, turning and launching the collar into the air. I aimed in fired in a quick motion, the dratted thing exploding in the air in a fit of sparks.

"I have the plan!" Grimlock announced. "My teamie and I," he grabbed onto Drift's shoulder plates, the latter not looking as amused as the dinobot. Will catapult onto the island and start punching," he animated with his servos.

"One problem with that, Grim," Bumblebee eased.

"I am _not_ your teamie," Drift shrugged the bot off, turning the other way.

"Okay, two problems," Bee corrected. "The second is that, as powerful as you and Drift might be together - as powerful as we all are together - we're no match for hundreds of decepticons in a straight up fight."

"So we call Cybertron for back up," Sideswipe stated as it was the obvious answer.

"Think about it, Slick," Windblade reasoned. "Reinforcements would take too long to assemble, brief and coordinate for an assault on the island,"

"Yeah, think about it," Strongarm backed her up, unnecessarily I may add.

"Then it's just us," Ratchet stated from Optimus' side. "What can we do against all those decepticons?"

"The same thing we did before, Ratch," I smiled as his disgusted face at the nickname. "Kick some tailpipe,"

"Even if we were able to somehow subdue every fugitive," Optimus turned to look at me. "We do not have enough stasis pods to contain them."

"Maybe not," Windblade interrupted my train of thought. "But we do have cryo gas, and lots of it. Those canisters we brought back from my supply stash,"

"If there was someway to disperse the gas throughout the entire island at once," Strongarm looked to me hopefully.

"It would solve all of our problems in one shot," I grinned triumphantly up at my bot.

"It should be possible to create a stasis bomb that, when detonated, would incapacitate any decepticon within range,"

"Like a roach bomb?" Russell asked, moving his fingers in a creepy-crawly suggestion.

"Precisely. All we need is a sturdy vessel in which to hold the compressed gas," Ratchet looked to Bee.

"I shall assist Windblade and Ratchet in the construction of the bomb," Optimus announced in his commanding voice. I face palmed. "The rest of you, form a plan for getting the weapon onto the island and detonating it,"

"That's what I was about to -" Bee vented a heavy sigh, turning to look at me.

"Babe," I eased up to the bot, who was still in full out leader mode. "You can't just order Bee's team around. They're not -"

"Toolbox," Optimus continued, not even acknowledging that I was speaking. "Please brief everyone of the schematics and layout of this Decepticon Island."

And with that, everyone went on their way.

Except for Bumblebee, Strongarm and I, who gathered where everyone wasn't.

"Sir," she addressed. "You can't let this keep eating at you. Talk to him,"

"She's right, kid," I nudged him. "I don't have any actual footing until you address your concerns. I can't tell Optimus it bothers you unless you do it first,"

He vented a sigh. "Things are moving too fast right now, guys," he confirmed. "I will when there's time,"

The two of us watched as Bee left, myself shaking my helm as he left.

"He's not going to, is he?" I questioned.

"Nope."

* * *

"Perhaps detonating the bomb above the island?" Drift offered as we looked at a module of the island Toolbox provided for us.

"The wind is too unpredictable." I observed, Bumblebee standing beside me.

"Is there any kind of ventilation hub within the ship?" He asked next.

"Affirmative," Came the reply, a portion of the ship highlighting in red. "Right here, sir,"

"Great," I smiled.

"We'll smuggle the bomb onto the island and place it onto the central hub. We'll set the bomb on a timer, and get off the island before it detonates."

"You would risk the entire team?" Optimus questioned. Bee's shoulder plates dropped.

"It's a calculated risk, Optimus," I eased, ducking under his arm and resting a servo on his chestplates. "We'll all be there to make sure whoever is carrying the bomb reaches the hub and returns in one piece. We cannot forget the remaining minicons that also need to evacuate."

"And, if -"

"We will deal with any obstacles or resistance when the time comes," Bumblebee growled through clamped dermas.

The two of them glared at each other, myself angrily pulling away from my Optimus and standing near the others.

"Awkward," Sides sung. He moved forward, standing in between the two bots. "Some weather we're having, huh?"

Bee turned away, shooting one last, disappointed glare at Optimus before continuing away. I shot my own glare at my before he left as well. I didn't notice Ratchet joining Optimus.

"Is he alright?" I commed the doc.

" _I assume he's just as aggravated as Bumblebee is,_ "

"They're both not bad leaders, Ratchet," I explained to him. "But Optimus needs to realize he was dead, and the chain of command got jostled while he was gone,"

" _Do not forget that you are the hesitant Prime, Cara,_ "

"I don't want the title and the responsibilities that come with it," I promised him. "But I know when my advice is welcome and when it isn't appreciated."

" _I'll talk to him._ "

"Thank you, Ratchet,"

"Here's the real question," Sideswipe asked. "How do we sneak almost a dozen bots onto Decepticon Island?"

I smirked, looking at Grimlock.

"What?"

* * *

Sideswipe and Drift were fitting the cryo gas pods into the designated pack that Bumblebee had strapped to his back. The minicons and Russell were working on Grimlock, painting a decepticon insignia over his autobot, and injecting him with a temporary substance that would allow him to show up as a decepticon if he were to be scanned.

My paint was being worked on by myself and Strongarm, painting dents and scratches and abrasions all over my frame. I was also working on convincing my energon to flow into pouches on my legs, where it would be stored. I wasn't moving all of it, just enough for my levels to appear weakened when scanned. It was an easy process to get the energon back into my system, simply calling for it would allow the energon to seep back through my protoform and into my veins.

Ratchet's design, of course.

My Optimus was hauling a boat forward, Denny Clay walking beside him and helping him to park the monstrosity to his desired location. When the lot of us were ready, Grimlock swept me into his arms, the lot of us following behind Optimus and the boat to the harbor by the scrapyard.

"Are you sure about this, Toolbox?" Strongarm questioned the minicon, right before we loaded onto the boat.

"The _Alchemor_ is right out there," he pointed to a space where there was _nothing_.

"Then let us begin our mission," Optimus called, turning to face us, Bumblebee standing right beside him. "Autobots! -"

"Let's rev up and roll out!"

"Remember," Windblade reminded everyone as they gathered onto the boat. Grimlock hung back with me still, waiting for everyone to board. "We want the sentries to think we're unconscious and not a threat. So close your eyes and stay still,"

Grimlock followed, helping me into a sitting position. He then helped my lace a quick release not around my servos, where the loose end was placed into my servo where I could pull and release almost instantly.

When he helped me sit back up, he looked at me with apologetic optics.

"The mission, Grim," I confirmed to him, letting the last few bits of my energon drain into those pouches. I had just enough energon to keep me functioning, to where I could provide assist to Grim if needed. "Just … focus on .. that,"

He nodded, moving to the controls of the boat and propelling us forward.

Before we made it far, I caught Optimus' optics.

"You're supposed to be sleeping, love," I called to him over my comm.

To which he scoffed, offlining his optics. " _I do not wish for you to be touched,_ "

"And I do not wish for you to challenge Bumblebee," I retorted softly. "Looks like we are both not getting what we desire tonight,"

" _I love you_ ,"

"As I love you."

It was moonlight before we got close to the approximated location of the ship. Time to get into character.

"I don't even know what I'm looking for!" Grimlock complained.

"Stupid, dinobot," I chuckled weakly.

"Shut it," he demanded, concentrating on his radio.

" _Attention, approaching craft,_ " a voice came on. " _We are reading your decepticon tracking signal, but we cannot identify you. State your name and business or you will be destroyed._ "

Grimlock looked at it cluelessly.

I drew the tiniest amount of energon from my packs, directing it to my vocal cords. "You are returning from a mission with autobot prisoners, and your decepticon tracker was damaged in the fight," I provided him, making a show of fighting with my bonds when he turned to look at me.

"Yeah, hi!" Grimlock replied to the con. "I'm comin' back from a mission with autobot prisoners, I guess my signal was damaged in the fight," he chuckled a little at the end. "Sorry bout that,"

He didn't get an immediate response back, but a ship did start to form from out of nowhere in front of us. I turned and gave it an almost true flabbergasted look. The door lowered, two vehicon warriors standing to greet us.

Grim moved to the front of the boat, shoving past me, before leaping onto the bridge.

"It sure is good to be back home on deception island," he announced, moving forward. The two cons pushed past him, observing the load.

"This is quite a haul of prisoners," one of them observed, before his visor fell on me. "Is that -"

"Fuckers," I muttered lowly.

He mocked a shocked expression, the other dragging me out by my forearm. I could feel my bot's spark flare in anger, but I calmed it as I was dragged to my pedes.

"What's wrong with this one?"

"Uh … " Grimlock hesitated. "She wouldn't go down. She kept standing back up,"

I spat at the con, who freaked from the oily substance that was smeared across his visor as he tried to wipe it off.

"Ancora Prime," the one I cursed at purred, brushing my cheek softly. "What an honor it will be to have you in the lower decks," if he could smirk, I'm sure he would. His servo traced down my frame, over my curves. Optimus' spark hummed furiously, but the vehicon's took it as my own. I slowly started allowing the energon to seep back into my frame. "It's been a while since we've had the honor of taking advantage of such a beautiful femme,"

"Get. Fragged," I rumbled lowly, Grimlock pouncing on them from behind.

He grabbed the one I spat on, smashing his helm into the ground. The other holding me was shocked as I pulled my rope, releasing my servos and allowing myself to wrap them around the con's helm. I held it up to Grim, who rounded up a massive hit, landing directly onto the bot's midsection.

"Are you alright?" Grimlock asked me as the others disembarked the boat.

"I'm fine, Grim," I assured him, working the energon into the needed locations.

"No one should've -"

"Grimlock," I assured him. "It's hardly the first time someone has touched me without me wanting them too,"

"But it will never happen again," Optimus promised me, wrapping his arm around me, kissing my forehelm before glaring at the downed cons. "And if it does, there will be _extreme_ repercussions."

We started to advance into the hold, Grimlock and Drift trailing behind.

"Bet you wanna be my teamie now, huh?" Grim bragged.

Drift only groaned as he followed behind my Optimus and I.

Toolbox led us to a hallway, where he stopped. Bee and Optimus peered around it, myself hanging back to avoid being seen.

"By the Primes," Optimus muttered, shock laced in his voice pattern.

"There's so many of them," Bee reported in the same, shocked tone.

I heard a scuffle begin on the other side, myself curious to the kind of cons they were, based on the sounds of the metal connecting to each other alone.

They leaned back as the noise intensified.

"Now we start sneaking," Bee announced. "We have to get to the ventilation hub and set the stasis bomb,"

Toolbox led us down more paths, through more corridors, and the whole time we didn't encounter a single con. It wasn't until we finally went through a door that the minicon stopped us.

"Why are we stopping?" Optimus questioned as I followed what Toolbox was looking at.

In the far corner of the room, a group of minicons were working on some kind of installation. I scanned all of them minimally invasive, finding depleated energon levels, and lack of recharge a main factor in all of them. They all looked run down, dirty, tired. My spark ached, thoughts of those minicons living in this suffering while I was on Cybertron creating guilt as well.

The minicon below was venting heavily, my spark going out for the bot.

"Toolbox," I eased, kneeling down to his level. "We need to keep moving. I promise on my spark we will not leave without these minicons joining us,"

He shook his helm frantically, before moving. "Of course,"

"Toolbox!" a voice from the platform the minicons were working on stated loud enough to echo over the silence of the room. "You've returned!"

"Autobot intruders in Cargo Bay 1-7!" one of the vehicons guarding them radioed.

"Strongarm!" Bee cried as the two of them advance on us.

"On it, sir," she whipped her decepticon hunter around, firing two single shots onto the cons, knocking them out with precise hits. I had forgotten how easily they were knocked out.

"Collect the minicons!" Optimus ordered.

"No, we have to keep moving!" Bee ordered.

"We cannot leave them to -"

"Stop treating me like a -"

The doors we had just came from opened, as did four others, releasing many decepticons into the hold.

"Defend yourselves," Bumblebee ordered. "We're not going down without a fight,"

Ratchet and Drift released their minicons, Grimlock transforming and slamming his tail into the ground, roaring as loud as he could in the echoing room. We created a circle, the lot of us facing out backs to each other to take on the threats presented to us.

There were a few sets of pedesteps echoing as the room fell silent. As I stood between Bee and Optimus, two cons made their way towards us, guarding one behind them. As they moved aside and bowed, my spark rumbled in anger.

"I wouldn't recommend fighting, Lieutenant," he slyly commented, moving forward. "It would be so futile,"

"Steeljaw," Bumblebee uttered lowly.

"Welcome, old friends, at last," Steeljaw grinned, transforming the two decepticon hunters in his grasp. "To the first outpost of my new decepticon empire,"


	31. Decepticon Island pt 2

" _Toolbox!" a voice from the platform the minicons were working on stated loud enough to echo over the silence of the room. "You've returned!"_

" _Autobot intruders in Cargo Bay 1-7!" one of the vehicons guarding them radioed._

" _Strongarm!" Bee cried as the two of them advance on us._

" _On it, sir," she whipped her decepticon hunter around, firing two single shots onto the cons, knocking them out with precise hits. I had forgotten how easily they were knocked out._

" _Collect the minicons!" Optimus ordered._

" _No, we have to keep moving!" Bee ordered._

" _We cannot leave them to -"_

" _Stop treating me like a -"_

 _The doors we had just came from opened, as did four others, releasing many decepticons into the hold._

" _Defend yourselves," Bumblebee ordered. "We're not going down without a fight,"_

 _Ratchet and Drift released their minicons, Grimlock transforming and slamming his tail into the ground, roaring as loud as he could in the echoing room. We created a circle, the lot of us facing out backs to each other to take on the threats presented to us._

 _There were a few sets of pedesteps echoing as the room fell silent. As I stood between Bee and Optimus, two cons made their way towards us, guarding one behind them. As they moved aside and bowed, my spark rumbled in anger._

" _I wouldn't recommend fighting, Lieutenant," he slyly commented, moving forward. "It would be so futile,"_

" _Steeljaw," Bumblebee uttered lowly._

" _Welcome, old friends, at last," Steeljaw grinned, transforming the two decepticon hunters in his grasp. "To the first outpost of my new decepticon empire,"_

* * *

"You should be honored, Bumblebee," Steeljaw continued to brag. "You're the first guests on my Decepticon Island,"

"An island you took without style, panache, or class," one of the two from earlier growled darkly. " _We_ took you in. _We_ trusted you,"

"Imagine that," Steeljaw retorted like it was a chore. "A decepticon that turns out to be untrustworthy," he almost laughed. "Don't be so hurt. _You_ put me in a position to possess two decepticon hunters. You practically begged me to seize power. I merely accepted your gift,"

"Get ready to fight," Bumblebee whispered.

"Let them take us prisoner so that we can -"

"I didn't ask for alternative plans," he interrupted Optimus counter measure.

"We don't have time for you to argue," I interrupted the both of them. "So here's the new plan. Windblade,"

The two of us transformed, her going above me, us circling the lot of decepticons above the circle of autobots.

"Bring them down!" Steeljaw ordered, pointing to us.

Blaster fire surrounded us, the two of us flipping and performing by the book evasive maneuvers.

"Come on!" Ratchet yelled from below, the squad following them. Steeljaw noticed, and fired upon Drift and Bee. However, it wasn't long before the two of them were assisted to their pedes and to the direction that Ratchet was headed to.

"Return fire," I ordered her, beginning my own assault. "After a round, rejoin with the group,"

" _Got it,_ " she agreed, following my lead. She circled around behind me, as I laid my second onslot down, flying through the door of the others and transforming.

"Windy's been hit!" Sideswipe moved to chase after her, myself right behind him.

"No!" Ratchet argued, grabbing the both of us. "We cannot afford to go after her right now," he ordered as Grimlock punched the controls, slamming the door shut over the image of Wind struggling against a group of decepticons.

Pain and guilt flared in my spark, but Optimus sent waves of reassurance to me from the front.

We'll return for her.

Toolbox led us down more passageways, Bee and Grim already recovering from the hits they took.

"We're going back for Windblade, right?" Sideswipe asked, moving past Bee and I.

"Don't worry," he promised. "We'll -"

He stopped.

"Oh, scrap,"

"What?" I questioned as he resumed running beside me.

"My hunter," he replied. "It's gone.

"That's okay," I eased him, the others pausing ahead. "Just another obstacle we'll jump across."

We had formed a circle in an intersection in the halls.

"Optimus," Bee addressed. "Questioning my orders back there really cost us. We're down a teammate and I've one of the most powerful weapons we have!"

"I didn't say it was alright just for you to -"

"Our primary mission is planting the stasis bomb in the island's ventilation hub," Optimus interrupted me. "That takes precedence over everything else,"

"Windblade has likely been moved to a secure location by now," Drift offered. "We have no choice but to proceed with the stasis bomb plan,"

Bee vented a sigh. "Alright. But we can't keep moving in a group this size. We're too easy to spot. Drift and Ratchet will locate and free Windblade. Strongarm, you Sideswipe and Grimlock see about freeing the captured minicon,"

"Bee," Grimlock questioned. "Do you really want to break up the team within a team Drift and I have going?"

"Nows not the time, Grim," I eased. "Toolbox will take the rest of us to ventilation hub," Bee moved to argue. "Enough. You and Optimus clearly can't be paired together, and there's no way you're going down there on your own. Optimus has the Prime Decepticon Hunter, he'll accompany us to help defend the stasis bomb."

He nodded. "After we're done, we'll rendezvous where we came to shore and get back to Crown City. Let's rev up and roll out!"

* * *

"Shouldn't we be at the ventilation hub by now, Toolbox?" Bumblebee questioned the poor minicon who was traveling as fast as his treads could take him.

"We had to skirt some areas with high concentrations of decepticon activity, lieutenant," came the reply.

"Doesn't anyone on this team follow my orders?"

I hit Bee upside the helm, himself recovering and glaring at me.

"The minicon is doing the best he can," I defended angrily. "Don't get pissy with everyone because you can't get your pissing contest to cease between Optimus and you." I turned back, dodging Optimus with a single order. "Don't,"

"Now isn't the time to have this discussion but time is too critical _not_ to have it," Bee explained, the two of them running behind me again. "Why do you think you should be leading this team right now instead of me?"

"Experience," Optimus provided. "I have alway led,"

"Here's my case," Bee growled. "I know Steeljaw. He isn't like Megatron, he's different. I know what our teammates can and can't do, they're not the same team we had so many years ago, and I've been leading them for a while now without you looking over my shoulder. I learned from the best that there is. You said you wanted to be equals, fine. I respect your voice above all others. But right now, I need you to have my back, because if a single voice does not lead, it means disaster for all of us." He paused, letting his words sink in. "Do you remember who said that?"

"I did,"

We entered the room, spacious beyond anything I'd ever seen before.

"Perfect," Bee almost grinned. "Let's get this done," he twisted, Optimus taking the bombs from his back. They placed the bomb, moving to arm the timer.

"I thought you'd come here," a voice from above spoke.

I twisted, moving in front of the two.

"You needed some way to attack the entire island at once, am I right?" he glared down at us.

Toolbox gasped, dodging to the opposite side of the hub.

"Let's see," he snarled, jumping from his perch above and landing on his pedes. "Not explosives. You wouldn't want to destroy yourselves. Cryo gas? Whatever it is," he pointed one of the decepticon hunter in his servos at us. "Step away."

Bee and Optimus stood defensively in front of the device, myself in front of them with my own blasters trained on the con in front of us.

"I read in our ship's computers what these weapons can do when three individuals combine them," Steeljaw made a point to look between the now three decepticon hunters in his servos. That must've been where Bee's went. "But _I'm_ curious what happens when one being brings them together. Shall we find out?"

I started firing on the con, but he had already pushed his two servos together. There was a neon blue light emitting from him, which deflected my blaster power. I growled angrily, transforming my blasters into my blades, my Optimus grabbing me and shielding me from whatever threat the con processed right now.

The con started growling, waving his single weapon around in the air now, and it looked as if he had grown a few extra layers of armor.

"I feel like I could take down all of the Prime's together!" he growled dangerously, smiling viciously at us. "What chance do you have?"

I left Optimus' grip, charging the con. I crossed my blades, moving to swipe at his helm, but his sword, like I almost expected, caught them. He pushed back on me with so much force, I didn't think I would hold.

"Cara!"

Bumblebee was right by my side a second later, pushing against my forearms to keep the major decepticon hunter from pressing major damage.

Optimus let out one of his furious growls, appearing beside us. Steeljaw noticed his advances, twisting the three of us around so his blade also caught Optimus'. To my deep dismay, Steeljaw pressed hard, the three of us bending down against his strength.

"I honestly can't decide if you're that weak or if I'm that powerful!" he gloated above us. He shoved forward, knocking us all away. He chuckled as we hit the ground, pained. "You're right. I'm that powerful,"

As he moved forward, I twisted a little. I kicked out, tripping the con to fall on his faceplates. I laughed as Optimus stood up, his decepticon hunter activating as he loomed over the con. He struck on his backstruts, not even denting the new armor.

Steeljaw chuckled. "Looks like this armor is more than just a fashion statement," he leered, turning to Optimus with a grin. A green blob erupted from the end of his blade, firing it up and shooting at my bot. He groaned, flying back and hitting the wall behind him. "Interesting," Steeljaw admired the blade in his servos. "I simply imagined a force beam in my processors, and the blade produced it!" he advanced to Optimus, but fell back when Bumblebee tackled him. I grabbed at Optimus' blade, turning towards the wrestling match ensuing.

"Mayday," I turned to see Toolbox on his comm, watching the two wrestle. "If anyone can hear me on this autobot-only frequency … "

Bumblebee yelled in rage, punching at the massive con. "You're done Steeljaw!" he yelled, throwing punches after each statement. "You hear me?" Punch. "Done!" Bee went to punch again, but the con grabbed his fist, leering down at him.

"No. You are,"

He punched at Bee, sailing into the wall a little down from my Optimus. I looked at my two downed bots, before turning and glaring at the con in front of me. I imagined the weapon to be the star sabre, a weapon I hadn't seen, or used, in a long time. It transformed into just what I wanted it to, the energon within the hunter interacting with that in my frame.

"Only you remain," he growled at me, slowly pacing. I stood firm, preparing my defenses in front of my two bots. "And what are you, Ancora _Prime?_ The hesitant Prime?" he chuckled. "Do you even know how to _use_ the title?" I said nothing, only staring at him from behind my blade. "Silent type, huh?"

He moved forward, another blast coming from the weapon in his servos. I called for the sabre in my servo, quickly flashing out and deflecting the blow. It ricocheted into a section of the wall. He released two additional strikes, having the same result as before. He growled at me.

I smirked.

He charged me, doing exactly what I wanted him to do. He went to strike up, so I rolled slightly to the side, striking down low. I knocked his pedes out from under him, not causing any actual damage because of the enhanced armor. He growled at me as I placed the blade in between his armor plating, pressing deeply.

He twisted suddenly, connecting his blade with my entire right side. I hit a wall with my left, dropping the Prime hunter in the process.

He chuckled, standing. "Some Prime you are,"

Blaster fire hit him from behind. I grabbed at the crunched metals of my arm, wincing slightly at the pain as I tried to see who was attacking him.

"Minicons, attack!"

I saw … thousands of Fixits, rolling up and firing upon the con. They surrounded him, pressing him back against a wall with their fire. I hauled myself to my pedes, pushing myself in the direction of the stasis bombs.

"Get away from those!" Steeljaw growled as I grabbed the connections.

My right servo was shaking, I couldn't make the connection. I looked over to Bumblebee, who was still struggling to get up, but he was looking at me with wide optics.

"Come on," I growled, praying to any Prime, God, anyone, anyone who would listen, to help me in _that_ moment. I pressed my arm against the side of the device, ceasing my shaking, allowing me to make the first connection. I twisted to face the con who was in the air and falling hard towards me, his weapon raised high in the air. I braced myself for a hard hit, but before that came, I felt a surge of anger from my bot.

Optimus came from the side, kicking Steeljaw out of his path and onto the floor. When Optimus landed, he grabbed his decepticon hunter and ran to Bee's side. He helped him to his pedes, his hunter transforming in a moment. "Do not worry Bumblebee," he cheered. "I have your back,"

Bee nodded, running to my side. I released my servo, backing out of the way. Bee made the next connection with ease, turning back to Optimus. They both stood defensively in front of me, glaring at the con.

"The timer is running," Bee announced. "Hopefully the others are at the rendezvous, but we need to make sure Steeljaw stays on the island. Said con climbed to his pedes, growling at the us.

"With his armor, he may be immune to the cryo-gas," I announced, sticking close behind Optimus.

"Then we need to disarm him to end his threat once and for all,"

"Even if we succumb to the cryo-gas as well," Optimus muttered. "Whatever it takes,"

"Whatever it takes," Bee smiled back at him.

Steeljaw charged, the two bots moving to meet him. They met in a mass explosion, the hunter Steeljaw had interacting strangely to Optimus' Prime hunter. There was blue static, the two bots managing to get Steeljaw's servos away from his frame, straining to take the hunter from him.

"Ready your system probes!" Fixit called to his minicons, who gathered underneath the hunter. Bee and Optimus struggled to hold the bot still, but they were managing. The minicons' little red ropes all wrapped around the con's fist, which was wrapped around the hunter. "Concentrate our attacks, make him drop his weapon!"

Finally, after a struggle between all of them, the weapon fell from his servo. It clattered on the ground, breaking apart into the three different hunters once more. The bots released the con, taking barely a second to relax their pistons.

That's all the decepticon needed.

I charged the hunters, scooping them into my servo before the con could get the them. The same blue light from before emerged from me, and I could feel the armor plating attach itself into my own. It was tremendous, the amount of energon the three offered to me, and I soaked it in. My right side grew stronger, until it was like it wasn't damaged at all.

I glared down at Steeljaw, who looked up at me angrily. My vision was enhanced, and I could calculate my options in mere seconds.

"You haven't won," the con promised. "I will still claim my throne,"

"Someone else said that to us once," I grinned at him. "He's currently scavenging on all corners of the galaxy. You? You're lucky enough to have a nice, stasis pod calling your name," I imagined a heat beam melting the floor beneath Steeljaw, and it wasn't long before it was reality in front of me. He sank into the ground, but before he could start fighting it too much, I imagine it cooling off around him.

I asked, and I received.

He was down to his knees in the ground when he growled, slicing at the solid flooring beneath him with his claws.

The alarm on the bomb started beeping, signaling the last few seconds we had left. I pulled the hunters apart, transforming immediately into my semi. Optimus and Bee followed suit, trailing after me as I quickly sped down the halls.

"Minicons!" I commed. "Grab on! We'll pull ya!"

I felt many of their little ropes attach to me, and I noticed in my mirrors that they were doing the same to Bee and Optimus.

When we emerged at the rendezvous, the bots were there waiting for us, with two boats.

"Get on the boats!" Bee called. "Now!"

They followed orders, crawling onto the one on the left. I drove onto the right on, the minicons and the remaining two bots joining me. They quickly transformed, but I activated my holoform, myself going to the controls and firing up the engine. I quickly began to pull away, running the boats engine as fast as it would take me.

There was a flash of light from the ship as the bomb exploded, but then it was silent. Waves came crashing into the sides of our ride, knocking us gently side to side.

"Fixit?" Optimus questioned while I slowed to boat down.

"Reading multiple decepticon signals," he reported. "All of them in stasis,"

I breathed an easy sigh of relief.

* * *

"We will finish repairs on the _Alchemor_ and pilot the prisoners to Cybertron for re-incarceration," Toolbox reported once we all made it back to shore. I chose to stay as a holoform, relaxing on my Optimus' shoulder plates as my vehicle mode rested on the boat from before. My right side was still damaged, and my self repair is working on it now. "The cloak will be maintained, so no humans will detect our departure,"

"If you don't mind," Windblade stepped forward. "I'd like to accompany you. It's been too long since I've stepped foot on Cybertron,"

"We'll hitch a ride as well," Ratchet announced, smiling down.

"Thank you for your help, Ratchet," Optimus thanked, stepping forward.

"Miss ya, Ratch," I smiled.

Ratchet nodded to us, before boarding the ship headed back to the _Alchemor_ with his minicon walking ahead of him.

"Windblade," Sideswipe stepped next to the femme. "I know this'll be hard to hear … "

"Yeah Slick?" she grinned.

"I think I've kind of outgrown Cybertron," he rubbed the back of his helm anxiously. "I'm not going back,"

"Oh," Wind looked disappointed, but only for a moment. "I guess I understand. I'll never forget you, Sideswipe,"

"I know," he eased.

Wind turned, sharing a look with me, before boarding the boat as well.

Grimlock turned to Drift with that shit eating grin. "You going to hang around, teamie?"

Drift growled lowly, turning to him. "For the last time …" he paused when he saw the dinobots smile, hope shining in his optics. "It will be an honor to continue to stand alongside you, teamie,"

I grinned.

Bee moved next to Optimus.

"Will you stay?"

My spark shrunk as Optimus turned around and gave his answer. "I believe I should return to Cybertron and investigate this new regime. But, should you ever need me, I will come to your aid," Bumblebee smiled. "Whatever it takes,"

"Thank you, Optimus," he smiled his little bot smile again.

"You are an excellent leader, Bumblebee. Never doubt yourself,"

They clasped servos in a handshake, a human action they picked up, which made me smile despite the pain in my spark. Optimus lifted his servo to me, allowing my holoform to crawl onto it so he could hand me to Bee.

"Bee…" I trailed off once I was in the safety of his servo. I kicked it, like I was kicking the dust off the earth, not meeting his optics. "I … "

"Don't have to say anything, sis," he promised me as Optimus loaded up. "I understand,"

"You're not angry?" I asked, looking up at him with hopeful optics.

"How could I be angry? Optimus has been gone for so long, and your bond was still so fresh. You've gone through a hell I can't even begin to understand. I don't want you to suffer anymore than you already have,"

"Thank you Bee," I smiled. "I will always be a call away,"

"I know," he replied. "Love ya, sis,"

"Love you too, kid,"

 **A/N**

 **Hey ya'll ! So I have these big plans for the next couple chapters, and I'll work on them ! The problem is they're coming from my head, so it'll take longer to write, and with school and work and a possible new significant other, I'll have less time to work on them. But I promise I'm getting them to ya! Thanks for reading!**


	32. Mighty Big Trouble

**Sorry guys. This wasn't the break I thought it was. I have that next chapter already written out and everything, before I realized it wasn't time for that yet. Optimus doesn't go to Cybertron after his departure, because he realizes the corruption of the High Council is more advanced than he thought. I have not watched enough to realize what it is that he does in the three episodes that he's gone, but once I do, I'll release a spin off depicting what it is that they do while they're gone. In the meantime, I'll give you an update so you're not freaking out thinking I'm gone. :) I wouldn't ever leave you guys hanging!**

 **Happy reading !**

 **\- Lizzzard**

* * *

I was traveling at high speeds to get back to the scrapyard. Optimus followed some distance behind me, his spark releasing feelings of content next to my spark which was radiating excitement and rushed feelings.

Bumblebee had called. Apparently, there was a new breed of minicons that had been giving the group troubles. Not so much decepticon troubles, lately, they've been focusing on snatching many of the different relics scattered across the globe, much like team Prime did years ago. However, in hunting down these relics, a bunch of scavengers have been popping up, hunting the same relics, accompanied by minicons of unexplained powers. Apparently, they were able to leap into your servo and control your motor functions.

Doesn't sound fun.

Anyways, I was so excited from hearing my brother's voice, I begged Optimus to let me skip ahead. It wasn't leaving my Optimus' side, he'd be right behind me, it was just a matter of time before he caught up to me.

Because I go pretty fast when I want to.

" _Cara!_ " my brother commed me, his voice displaying as much excitement as I was feeling in my spark. " _Fixit is picking up your signal entering earth's atmosphere! You're coming!_ "

"Of course I'm coming!" I chided him, resisting the urge to giggle like a sparkling. "I ran ahead of my Optimus, with his permission of course. I'll be there soon!"

" _Perfect! We need someone to help get the sand out of our gears!_ "

"Bumblebee! What did I tell you about playing in the sand box!"

His laughter was the last thing I heard before the comm shut off. I concentrated on not burning up in the atmosphere, directing the shields available to me - through Windblade's help on the trip towards Cybertron - to shield off the heat that would burn my paint off.

When I touched down at the scrapyard, the group of bots were crowded by the command center. I knew they heard me, but I assumed they didn't acknowledge me due to an ongoing conversation I was more than happy to interrupt.

"You think the shorties are going to ignore me forever?" Sideswipe asked, staring at Command where Fixit usually stood.

"Not if you give them a proper apology," Bee scolded.

"With sincerity," Strongarm added.

Sideswipe turned, looking at her blank, before his optics met mine. "Cara!" he cheered, the rest of the team finally looking towards me.

"Hey guys!" I smiled, welcoming the embrace of Sides, Strong and finally Bee. They each had their own little thing, way of greeting me to let me know that they missed me. It wasn't until I was trapped in a dinobot's embrace that I started to protest. "Love you too, buddy," I patted the metals my faceplates were scrunched against, until he finally let me down.

"It's been so lonely without you here, Cara!" Grimlock wined. "Tell me everything you did! Who'd you see? Did you straighten things out with Cybertron yet!?"

I laughed, pushing away from the dinobot. "Easy, Grim," I smiled up at him. "I've missed you all too." I turned to Bee. "Minicons, huh?"

Bee smiled, tugging me aside.

* * *

"It almost seems as if these minicons were reluctant to assist those decepticons they were allied with," Strongarm offered. Bee, Drift, the humans, her and I were standing in front of Command, Fixit working on trying to locate the energon signals of the minicons of the discussion.

"I sensed that when the minicon took control over me," Bee provided. "There was also an incredible surge of power just before I lost control of my motor functions."

Fixit hit a button, the screen projecting itself so we could see. "There is a symbiosis between the minicon and its host," he explained, the little minis on the screen demonstrating it. "The host is then powered up, but we have no data as to how this surge occurs, or under what parameters."

"Strong as it was, why did I feel like the surge wasn't complete?"

"Symbiosis," I explained. "Maybe it's meant to be beneficial for both parties, and whereas you weren't okay with it, it wasn't ready to be complete,"

"Who knows what the minicon's true agenda is?" Strongarm brought up.

We were interrupted by the forced clearing of a throat. Our attention went to the red speed demon standing in front of the command, holding a little bundle of wild flowers, and reading off a hologram from his arm.

"Autobots are good, decepticons are bad. I'm so very sorry, that I made you angry," I facepalmed as the bot looked to the lot of us, looking around. "I couldn't think of anything that rhymed with bad!"

"Has Sideswipe sustained cranial injury?" Fixit questioned, myself immediately fighting back a snort of laughter.

Before anything else could be said, a sound of a scuffle could be heard from a few rows down. I quickly transformed into my peterbilt, gunning it in that direction. I heard the rest of them following eventually, Drift's engine sounding the most urgent.

It only took me a moment to analyze the scene I rolled in on. Jetstorm and Slipstream were surrounded by other foreign minis on various shapes and sizes, backed against a pile of Denny's scrap. They were both on the ground, unarmed, and looking dazed. They quickly got to their pedes, taking a defensive stance against the oppressors.

I hit the brakes, skidding my tail end to the side, turning the wheel in the opposite direction I was wanting to go, and twisting down the line of the minis that were standing against _my_ minis. After I had knocked the lot of them out, I turned myself in circles. I transformed, flipping in front of Jet and Slip, glaring down at the littles.

"Hey guys," I cheered, transforming my servo into a blade. "Mind if I join the party?"

"Cara!" the two behind me cheered, my smile only widening.

Drift transformed, the twins running to him and attaching back to his arms. The other four weren't far behind him, transforming themselves.

"Don't let them leap into your hands, it's how they take control!" Bee called, him, Strong and Sides charging forward. Drift and Grimlock hung back, guarding the exit.

The little red mini bounced on me, taking me to the ground. I was stunned for a second at the mini's strength, but I recovered, dismissing my blade and curving my servos into tight fists. Bee was right, these little guys were trying to get to my servos.

"What are you fighting for?" I questioned him, twisting onto my stomach and tucking my servos under my chest plates. He ignored me. "My name is Ancora Prime, I can help you!"

The weight on my back was gone, and I turned to see Bee wrestling the little guy to the ground. "I recognize you!" he said. "What is it that you're after? And are those scavengers with you?"

He didn't reply, just twisted Bee's servo to press against his chest plates. He transformed into a little axe, a blue hue surrounding Bee's major energon lines. Bee started twisting and swiping.

"Not again!" he started moving towards Grimlock. "Careful Grim!" he warned as he ran forward, slashing at the dinobot's neck. He let out a pained roar, falling on his side.

A little blue mini charged forward, transforming and landing in Grim's servo. There was another blue hue and Grim was on his pedes.

"How … how can you control me when -"

"When I couldn't control you?" a little Cera called, looking up at Grim. "Maybe because we're both dinos, I don't know. But listen, Bashbreaker, I don't think the big dino is an enemy."

The blue minicon didn't seem to care as Grim started charging Sides and Strong. It only took one punch and they were both on the ground. It took even shorter time before they, too, were wielding minicons in their servos. They stood, Bee and Grim joining them, and moving towards Drift.

Strongarm was pushing against Drift's chest plates, shoving him back against a shelf. Bee had a hold of his arm, locking it in place. Sideswipe was prying his servo open, creating a straight path for the one of the remaining minicons.

The little Cera, and the rest of them turned to look at me.

I chuckled nervously. "Well hey guys." They stared back at me with blank faces. I backed away, doing a crap walk away from them, before the little dino started charging me.

I cringed, ready for impact, when I noticed it never came.

The little blue minicon that looked like a whale was standing in between myself and the Cera.

"Tricerashot, wait!" it called, stopping the thundering thing. "Please, we only came for the High-Energy Pulse generator we detected."

"I'm afraid it was destroyed," Fixit announced, wheeling himself around my fame to commune with the other two minis.

They looked down for a second, and I almost pitied them.

"We can't fix our ship if we don't have a stronger generator," Tricerashot growled.

"If you're repairing a ship, I may be able to help," I offered with a soft smile. "I know a bit about mechanics, and I can search around in the Cybertronian databases to see if there is anything I can do to help you,"

I was hoping they'd agree, to a more, peaceful reasoning. I offered them my servo.

The red minicon jumped from Bee's servo and landed in my own. As the others had told me, it felt as if there was a surge of energon through my circuits, encouraging my systems to boost itself up some. However, once I realized what was happening, and I started fighting the pairing, it shut off. I tried as much as I could to fight the thing off me, and I almost had it, before another minicon, the blue one, lept into my remaining free servo. _That_ surge gave me even more energon, but once I started fighting that it resisted me.

I could only watch as my systems were directed to run away from Bumblebee, from my team, from my friends. I fought against them best I could, but with two of them on me all my fight was useless. When we exited the scrap yard, we ran through the surrounding woods, the rest of the minicons following in close pursuit.

"Please stop fighting us," the red minicon in my left servo pleaded. "It is as uncomfortable for us as it is for you when you fight."

"My apologies," I snarled. "I didn't know there was a manual on how to be a proper _captive_ ,"

"You offered to help us," the dino below called up.

"We need that help," a voice from the sky said. I looked up to see an eagle like bird flying above us, his voice rich like my Optimus'. "As much as we'd like to be independent, we need help. And you said you were a Prime,"

"Yes," I tried to keep the venom from my voice best I could. "I am Ancora Prime, I offered to help, but that is no reason to _abduct_ me,"

"We can't trust you," the one above eased gently. "I apologize, but we simply cannot trust you. Not with what's following us,"

I raised an optic ridge, but chose to remain quiet as we traveled.


	33. Mini Con Madness

" _If you're repairing a ship, I may be able to help," I offered with a soft smile. "I know a bit about mechanics, and I can search around in the Cybertronian databases to see if there is anything I can do to help you,"_

 _I was hoping they'd agree, to a more, peaceful reasoning. I offered them my servo._

 _The red minicon jumped from Bee's servo and landed in my own. As the others had told me, it felt as if there was a surge of energon through my circuits, encouraging my systems to boost itself up some. However, once I realized what was happening, and I started fighting the pairing, it shut off. I tried as much as I could to fight the thing off me, and I almost had it, before another minicon, the blue one, lept into my remaining free servo. That surge gave me even more energon, but once I started fighting that it resisted me._

 _I could only watch as my systems were directed to run away from Bumblebee, from my team, from my friends. I fought against them best I could, but with two of them on me all my fight was useless. When we exited the scrap yard, we ran through the surrounding woods, the rest of the minicons following in close pursuit._

* * *

"Listen,"

Our party stopped at a curve in the path we were taking. I tuned my audios, my servos still holding the two minicons. There hadn't been much conversation, but even when I tried fighting the connection, it drained my energon levels much quicker than anticipated.

Sure enough, there was the sound of engines coming around the bend.

"Hide!" the eagle ordered.

"We'll intercept them first," the dino said, himself and the yellow minicon the only ones not retreating. I fought them even harder, taking a guess as to who it was we were running from. As always, it didn't work out, and I simply succumbed to hiding.

There was a sound of transformations, then pedes charging each other.

"Strongarm to all autobots," the femme's voice pattern heightened my hopes. "Immediate backup to our position! Repeat: immediate -"

The little whale jumped over the tree tops, cutting off Strongarm's comm. A greenish one jumped from the other side of the path.

The two in my servos directed me to move forward. I began to charge the two bots.

"No!" I screamed, my own movements stopping in their tracks. I offlined my optics in an effort to pull my bodily controls away from the minicons. I could _feel_ the reigns, I could _feel_ them moving in the balance between the three of us.

There was a surge of a different energy through my systems, sending me to my knees. When I looked up, venting heavily from the pain, Sides and Strong were in the same position I was, but looking a lot less pained than I was. I pressed my dentas together, trying to ignore the pain.

"You minicons are under arrest!" Strongarm voiced, her pattern indicating she was fighting the minicon in her grasp as much as I was. "For taking control of a law officer and a … punk!"

The bird thing landed between the three of us. "Do not release these three until -"

Grimlock charged through the trees, pausing when he saw the three of us on the ground.

"Are we all friends now, or ..?"

"Attack!" the bird ordered, taking to the air.

I fought the two in my servos, even after they began shocking my systems. I clenched my dentas together, trying to focus on something other than my overloading circuits.

"I take that as a no!" I heard Grim counter, no doubt preparing to face the others. I tried my best to keep still, but the pain flowing through my circuits only grew stronger and stronger. I took a step forward, slamming it down in an attempt to prevent from going any further.

"We should keep control of all of them, Aerobolt," a voice below called. When I went to focus on the conversation, I could feel my fight lose itself. I focused back on not moving, and much to my delight, for the most part, I didn't move.

The spark next to mine surged in fury, and mine immediately relaxed.

In my haze of pain and focus, something reached in, grabbing a hold of my arm. I was lifted into the air, the minicon's falling from my servos as I was pulled into a warm embrace of another. I looked up, my systems slowly recovering from the pain that was littered throughout my systems. I shook in his hug, pressing my faceplates against his chest lovingly.

"Ancora," he rumbled deeply, running a servo up my back struts. "You're alright,"

"Regroup and attack!"

"No!" the little bird argued as Optimus moved me behind him. I started rebooting my systems manually, one by one. "I recognize you. From my youth, before we were captured by Megatron. You are Optimus Prime,"

"We mean you no harm," my bot eased, his voice relaxing.

"I'd like to do a _little_ harm," I protested, still concentrating on not falling over from my splayed circuits.

Optimus rested a servo on my shoulder, easing me. I met his optics, and immediately understood. This was an act of self defense. "Hostilities between us are ended,"

"I apologize for our aggressions," the bird stated. "Since we awoke, we have trusted no one."

"I still don't trust anyone," the dino below growled.

"I know you are being pursued by Starscream, but little else," Optimus reasoned, kneeling before the little guys. I rested a servo on his shoulderplates, reassuring myself that he was okay. "Tell me your story,"

* * *

"After we escaped Starscream at Darkmount, we enlisted with the decepticon scavengers. As a means of getting off Cybertron."

"If we'd known they were headed for earth, the second most frequented planet visited by Cybertronians, we never would've come." Cera below growled, looking to Grim as he spoke.

"Immediately upon arriving we began trying to convince our hosts to leave. Even as we searched for a way to escape the scavengers and strike out on our own."

"We stole their sub-orbital transporter, but it ran out of fuel," the whale called.

"Which is where we found you," I spoke up. "And what you needed help with, why you took me,"

"Indeed,"

"But why did it take two of you to control Cara?" Sides questioned.

"Ancora Prime is a Prime," the bird explained, to the best he could. "We knew this, so we chose one of the stronger ones to control her. But even he failed to contain the fight in her." I smiled a little.

"I could tell you gave me a surge when you took over," Strongarm added, the bird turning to her. "But it also felt like, I don't know, there could've been more power. Like you were holding back,"

"This is true," the bird agreed. "Unless the surge is mutually agreed upon and totally committed to by both sides, full power is not shared," he turned back to my Optimus, looking up at him. "Surely there is no autobot more worthy of sharing our energies than you, Optimus Prime. Will you accept the surge that I can supply?"

I felt Optimus' spark tinge in doubt, but he stood tall anyways. "I am not certain," he hesitated, myself resting a servo on his arm.

"It will only work if you trust me,"

"Very well. Let us try,"

The bird jumped up into the air, a blue hue surrounding it. He transformed a little bit, into a little chest plate. It connected heavily to Optimus' chest, sending him back a little bit. I watched hesitantly, searching his half of his spark for any pain. The blue hue heightened around Optimus, enhancing wings onto his armor, the blue spreading in contrast to his darker blue and red. He grew a few feet, but before that could complete, he let out a pained groan, before the chest armour was pushed away from his chest, sending both bots to the ground, the bird transforming before he crashed.

Just as the minicons ran to the bird, I ran to my bot, helping him up.

"I apologize, Aerolbolt," Optimus called, allowing me to pull him up.

"It is understandable," he called. "Trust must be proven, not merely spoken."

"We should avoid surge pairings between us for the time being," I suggested, holding my bot's optics.

"Good!" Sideswipe agreed. "Then we can focus on more important things, like finding the minicons!"

"And the lieutenant," Strongarm added.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"Jetstorm, Slipstream and Fixit were taken from the yard while we were out looking for you," Sideswipe called.

"Then, Starscream sent a hologram to tell the lieutenant that in order to keep the minicons safe, he had to turn himself in,"

"And Bee bought it," I pouted to my bot.

"We'll get him back," he assured me, starting to walk. "Once that is accomplished, we will help you find a home, where you will never be bothered again,"

"We appreciate your assistance," Aerobolt called up.

"Until then, please stay with us," I knelt down beside him. "That way, if Starscream attacks, we can protect you,"

"We can protect ourselves, Ancora," the little red one called up.

"I meant no disrespect," I eased. "Just that we are stronger together,"

* * *

We had been walking some ways now. Optimus, myself and Sideswipe were in the front, the others traveling not too far behind. I was walking besides my Optimus, basking in the feeling of our sparks being so close together.

"You seem distracted Sideswipe," Optimus observed, looking to the much younger bot.

"It's just -" he hesitated, looking towards me. I met his optics, smiling gently. "I said something to the minicons that I shouldn't have, and now I feel terrible about it,"

"Too often we forget our friends have feelings."

"No kidding,"

I held out a servo, stopping the two of them. Optimus signaled for the others to quiet as I heightened my audios to the faint voices I was picking up.

"We'll deal with Starscream for what he did to us. But first those minicons have to pay!" A green Clampdown like figure moved over the hill into our line of sight, a few other cons not far behind. "Having to summon our mothership to pick us up. Humiliating! Once we find the sub-orbital craft those half sized cans stole from us …"

I guess we finally read as a threat in the con's optics, cause he and his party paused, taking in the lot of us. I have to admit, the fight was very very one sided, but I knew better than to underestimate a team because of numbers.

"I guess the universe was listening," he smiled. He looked to me, trying to appear threatening. "We want the minicons. We'll take them by force if we have to,"

"You four?" Sideswipe questioned before I could get a word out. "Against all of us? This'll take two seconds,"

Right as he held up the number two with his digits, the con's started pulling what appeared to be older weapons from their subspaces. One shot at Drift, who flipped out of the way quickly. I turned just in time to see multiple little disks destroy a boulder where Drift had been standing. He safely landed a few feet away from Strong and Grim, taking his defensive position without hesitation.

"Looks like these relic hunters hunted up some decent relics," Strong commented.

"Do not take them lightly," Optimus called as I transformed my servos into my blades. "These decepticons may not even know what their artifacts can do,"

Just as he said this, one of them shot at my Optimus. I quickly intercepted the blast, expecting a momentary sting, only to find a field forming around my frame. It started constricting me, tighter and tighter, to the point that I couldn't think straight. Something stabbed through the field, barely touching my shoulder plate, before the whole bubble disappeared and I was able to breathe a little easier.

Sideswipe charged the cons, who simply deflected him with one of the shields they had. Sides sailed backwards, over my helm, crashing into the ground.

"This might take a little more than two seconds," he grumbled, grabbing at his helm as he got to his pedes.

He and the others started to engage the cons. Optimus charged in front of me, squaring off with the little crab. I joined in wherever I could, deflecting blows before they could make contact with any of my bots. After a blow from one, I fell back near the minicons. Before I could leave, I picked up some of their conversation.

"Perhaps we should attach to the autobots, provide them with power surges," Aerobolt was suggesting.

"No," I countermented. "We do not know the full extent of such pairings, and now isn't quite the opportunity to experiment." I rolled, hopping to my pedes once more. I stood by my Optimus' side, fighting by him.

"Hey, Cara!" Strongarm called. I broke away just long enough to look at her. She was sending the scorpion looking con hurling towards me. "Catch!"

"No thank you!" I shouted back, kicking at the con and sending him to the trees. "I would like a refund!"

I turned back to the battle. I didn't understand why we were having such a hard time with them. I mean, it wasn't like their weapons were all _too_ much. Maybe we were getting rusty…

I jumped to Drift, shielding him from a slash delivered by the little crab con. Drift flipped away while I danced, before taking over shortly after.

There was another energon colored glow from behind. I turned to see Strongarm charging a con who had a relic aimed at me, one I hadn't noticed. But .. she was different. Her veins were glowing with the energon inside of them, and her decepticon hunter in her servo wasn't the normal crossbow.

Wait …

She deflected the relic's blast easily with her new weapon, sending the con flailing backwards to avoid the hits. He tripped over Grimlock's tail, falling on his aft. Grim towered over him, smashing him with his pede.

A blade flew past my line of sight, and I turned to see Sideswipe underneath the Quillfire looking con. She had Sides on his back, weaponless, and had drawn two of her quills.

"Strong!" I called, already engaging the con. I knocked her two servos up and away from Sides, standing above him defensively. Strongarm came from behind her, taking her weapon and poking it beneath her, before sending her over her head and into the trees.

"Optimus," the blade called to us.

Before I could even register that it was Strongarm's weapon speaking to us, she hurled it in the direction of my bot. It transformed, the little whale minicon sailing for the con and tackling his weapon from his servos.

Stunned, the con glared down at the minicon, backhanding him to the side.

The whale didn't move.

"Sawtooth!" Aerobolt cried, but I was already running for him.

"Do not seperate from us!" my Optimus called, but I was already gone. I could hear the larger bots moving after us, and the lighter steps of the minicons moving forward, but I didn't pay attention. I was trying to reach Sawtooth.

When I finally reached the minicon, I turned when I heard my Optimus release a pained grunt. It was followed by the rest of the team, but Optimus' spark twisted in agony. They were all caught under a net, the little crab con looking rather happy.

I gathered the minicons beneath me as the others circled around us. I transformed my servos into my blades, analyzing the lot of the cons.

"Time for payback," the crab cheered, the weapon in his grasp warming up.

I narrowed my optics at him, blades ready.

" _I'm afraid not,_ "

I shivered at the voice print, but even more as a dark, _Nemesis_ looking ship appeared from the trees.

"Starscream," I muttered as it came to a stop above me. The hatch at the bottom opened, and a blue beam shot from it. I was pulled into the air, the minicons following me. I tried to … swim? my way out of it, but I could only go up.

Inside the ship, I was met with the happy optics of ..

"Starscream?" I questioned the con standing before me. The beam was released, and I fell to the floor, transforming my servos back and being sure not to harm any of the minicons below me. "My, don't you look different. I thought Predaking had finally offlined you,"

"You're wrong, Ancora," he sneered. "And what of Prime? I thought he sacrificed himself to save Cybertron,"

"He did," I went to charge him, but my arms were quickly caught. I twisted to see an insecticon grabbing ahold of me. I struggled against him, but found I couldn't break the hold he already had on my arms.

"Take her to rest with Bumblebee," Starscream dismissed. "I will approach her once I am fitted!"

I struggled against the con, even as he drug me down the hallways of the ship.


	34. Worthy

" _Starscream," I muttered as it came to a stop above me. The hatch at the bottom opened, and a blue beam shot from it. I was pulled into the air, the minicons following me. I tried to … swim? my way out of it, but I could only go up._

 _Inside the ship, I was met with the happy optics of .._

" _Starscream?" I questioned the con standing before me. The beam was released, and I fell to the floor, transforming my servos back and being sure not to harm any of the minicons below me. "My, don't you look different. I thought Predaking had finally offlined you,"_

" _You're wrong, Ancora," he sneered. "And what of Prime? I thought he sacrificed himself to save Cybertron,"_

" _He did," I went to charge him, but my arms were quickly caught. I twisted to see an insecticon grabbing ahold of me. I struggled against him, but found I couldn't break the hold he already had on my arms._

" _Take her to rest with Bumblebee," Starscream dismissed. "I will approach her once I am fitted!"_

 _I struggled against the con, even as he drug me down the hallways of the ship._

* * *

"You alright?"

Bee looked over at me. We were both sitting, stasis cuffs binding our arms and legs, waiting for death or Starscream, whichever came first. The insecticon left me here a few minutes ago, no doubt returning on the lower levels where they're going to do some ungodly experiments on those poor minicons.

"Yeah," I finally muttered, venting deeply. "I'm fine,"

"Is Optimus -"

"He's here," I answered. "And … our minis?"

In response, there was a banging on the vents above us. Bee and I turned, to see three familiar figures fall to the ground.

"Guys!?" Bee exclaimed.

"Are you alright?" I called after I watched them hit the table and bounce around it.

As Jet and Slip looked up, Fixit smiled. "Fit and Funk - funk - funk - funk - Functional, lieutenant!"

"After you distracted Starscream," Jet explained, standing up with the others behind him. "I returned to my earlier place of imprisonment and freed the others. And now, we shall free you,"

"You guys know, you're pretty good at this," I complimented as they worked their way towards us.

Jet vented a sigh. "I fear our efforts are not enough,"

"Are you kidding me?" I argued, turning to face the little guy, rubbing at me freed servos. "You guys escaped, and snuck here, without going detected! That's amazing!"

"But now what is our course of action?" Slip asked, turning towards his brother.

"And now," Jet smiled, moving towards us with a grin. "We shall free you,"

They wheeled around behind us, Fixit going after Bee's cuffs, the twins going after my own.

"The fugitive minicons?" I offered, bringing my wrists around and rubbing them subconsciously while they worked on my pedes. "Starscream captured them."

"And now we've landed," Bee rose, rubbing his wrists as I was. "Try to find an intra-ship camera so we can see what he's doing with them,"

"I'm on it, lieutenant," Fixit saluted, already wheeling to the controls as Bee reached for me. He grasped my elbow and my servo, hauling me up.

"What do you think he wants with them?" I questioned as the four of us moved to stand behind Fixit, who was typing away at the screen.

"Starscream told me that the minicons were a forgotten project of Megatron's. The theory is that if all seven are paired with a single bot, that, they 'possess the power to destroy a Prime,'"

"Yeah," I nodded more to myself. "That sounds like something Scream would say."

Fixit clicked on something, and a videofeed appeared. Those little minions of Screamer's were on screen, placing the minicons into little hangars from the ceiling. There was one little hangar empty.

"If they're missing one minicon," I asked, pointing. "Will it still work?"

"I'm not sure," Bee looked away, and I could almost see the plan forming in his head. "However, I know that Starscream said _all_ ,.."

"So it won't work,"

"Hopefully," Bee agreed.

"We still got a problem,"

"Agreed," Bee smiled. "But I think I have an idea,"

* * *

I was seated right next to Bumblebee, legs folded underneath me, my arms folded neatly behind me. We both glared at the door as it swooshed open, Starscream standing tall and proud, a sword I thought I'd never see again.

"Is that … "

"This is not a setback, Bumblebee," Starscream managed a smile at us, passing by to the control. As soon as his back was turned, Bee pulled his servos free. "Simply an inconvenience," We quietly snuck around the room, as Scream turned towards where we were. "So don't go thinking -" he paused, pulling the dark star sabre forward, and pointing it around the room. By now, we were back behind him. "Ancora?"

Bee jumped from the shadows, tackling Scream to the ground. Wrestling each other for the sabre, I ducked low under the control.

"What was your plan if you couldn't disarm me?" he sneered in Bee's face.

I kicked out, tripping the con. He dropped to his knees, yet still holding on the dark star sabre. Speaking of which, the drasted sword fell down, connecting with my still outstretched leg.

Wouldn't have been a problem, however, with the minor cut it made, dark energon from the sword fell through, hitting my protoform. Even the slightest amount took a slight toll on my systems. I felt drowsy, the images in front of me blurring together.

"Cara!"

Metal crashed against metal, and some kind of electric shocks.

"The scanners!" Starscream's screechy voice shrieked.

"We need to regroup!" Bee called, leaving Scream to fuss over the controls. He wrapped his arm around me, hoisting me up and pulling me towards the door. Minicons emerged from the side, following closely behind. Bee transformed, the three of us piled on top of him and he headed down the hall. "We need to get to the lab and the other minicons," I poked at the wound on my arm, wincing as it singed. "Cara?"

"I'm fine," I grumbled, directing a good portion of my energon to overpower the dark.

"The lab is around the next corner," Fixit called from within.

Just as Bee rounded the corner, he braked, flinging the three of us off. I immediately found my footing, hesitating slightly, before activating my defense protocols.

"Starscream says hello," one of the three cons grinned, as the others got defensive. "And that if you take one more step, we are to shoot these minicons," he pointed his blaster at the unconscious yellow mini.

I narrowed my optics at him.

"Go ahead, do it," Bee announced, activating his face mask.

"What!?" I exclaimed, twisting to glare at him.

"They're bluffing. Starscream needs those minicons. Am I right?" he questioned, producing his own blaster and aiming accordingly.

Just as I noticed that Bumblebee was in fact correct, I heard pedesteps coming in from behind me. I turned to see my Optimus charging forward, the others following close behind. I grinned, turning back towards the cons, who had now ducked behind different covers within the lab, firing shots on us. I returned fire as the others ducked for their own cover. Optimus was by my side the next instant, deflecting shots left and right.

"Around the corner!" he called, deflecting more shots as I returned them. Once shots started coming from behind me, I touched Optimus' back. We backed up ourselves, rounding the corner to stand behind Bumblebee who was the returning fire.

Optimus ducked further down the hall as I leaned around Bee, firing at the cons myself. I couldn't seem to get a shot that would actually hit the cons, but I kept shooting.

"Let's draw our opponents out to a more open environment," Optimus called.

I turned to see him carving a hole in the side of the ship with his decepticon hunter. He kicked it out, ducking through. The others followed closer behind him, Bee the last to leave. I fired one last shot, before diving through the whole, somersaulting my landing. I ended up in front of the group. I stayed crouched low, turning to meet the cons, but they never came.

"Why aren't they following?" Strongarm questioned.

"We'll have to plan our next move very carefully." I stated, turning towards Optimus.

"You already gave it to us, guys," Sideswipe grinned. He bounded away, Bee, Strongarm, and Grimlock following closely behind. I turned to Optimus, who was watching them curiously. I focused my optics to see their actions.

I watched as Sideswipe dug his blade into the ship, then Grimlock pound it in. I could hear his ferocious roar from where I was standing.

Not ten seconds from the roar, some kind of rocket landed right beside me, at the missing minicon, the little dinobot. I turned to face our attacker, only to get struck by a rocket as well. I flinched as it exploded against my metals, knocking me to the ground.

"Cara!" Optimus called, right before he let out a pained groan himself, falling to the ground.

I tried to get up, but I couldn't move. My sensors were offline, my frame not responding to the commands I was giving it. I directed my self repair functions to fix work on the damaged metals, but they weren't moving quick enough.

The cons jumped down, aiming their blasters at Optimus and I.

"Stop!" Bee called, before blaster fire rained down around us.

I groaned, sitting up, around the same time that Strongarm, Bee, and Sides landed on the ground near us. They started engaging the cons, who were now backed into the trees. I twisted towards my Optimus, fixing a few leaking lines. He groaned as energon returned its flow, optics onlining to look at me.

"Good morning, sunshine," I grinned.

Optimus chuckled slightly, taking my offered hand and getting up. Drift had recovered about the same time, and the three of us exchanged looks, before we drew our weapons to take part in the battle.

But before we could move, something attacked us.

I felt the dark presence overtaking my systems. It interacted with the dark energon already in my systems, spreading through my veins. I could feel it migrating into my lines, something I wasn't wanting it to do.

Powerdown was welcomed when it came.

* * *

"Cara!"

"Her systems are stabilizing,"

"What happened?" I groaned out, twisting onto my belly slowly.

"Starscream used dark energon to take everyone out," Fixit explained. "Your frame has an odd tolerance to it, therefore your powerdown wasn't as long as the others."

I groaned again, sitting up as I did a self scan. The dark energon was being ate by my remaining energon reserves, something I was thankful for. I looked around at the other downed autobots, running scans quickly. Everyone was fine, their energon reserves going after the dark as mine did, however slowly.

But not -

"Sideswipe!" I called, shuffling to my feet. I rushed to his side, the three minicons beside me. He had a giant abrasion to his chest, which was still smoking. I set to work reconnecting the energon lines. He was running low, so I dug out a line from my forearm, connecting it to one of his. With the fresh energon, his systems started to boot up slowly.

"He sacrificed himself, for us," Slipstream muttered.

I risked a glance up to see the three of them gathered on the other side, watching me work.

"Perhaps he really was trying to apologize before … before … " Fixit trailed off, his vocal cords struggling.

"Sideswipe truly did value us," Jetstorm stated. "As teammates, and friends,"

I smiled as I connected the last of the energon lines, moving towards the damaged metals.

"It's about time you realized that," Sideswipe grinned, struggling to sit up.

The three minicons grinned, rejoicing as I pushed Sides back down.

"Hey hey hey," I eased. "Just lemme do this one weld and I'll let you up,"

He relented, allowing me to do the weld I wanted, one that would temporarily hold everything together. He sat up, looking across the yard at the other downed autobots.

"The others?" he questioned.

"Their systems are responding to the dark energon as they should," I stated, doing another quick scan. "They should be back to normal soon."

"We should wake them," Slipstream called.

There was a bright blue hue from the top of the ship.

"We better deal with that first," he called.

From the ship, Starscream hovered above it with a sickening grin. He had like ten pounds of extra armour on him, the dark star sabre in his hand.

"I should've stayed unconscious," Sideswipe commented.

"Starscream must've forced the ultimate power surge," I called, observing his extra layers of armor. I turned to Sides, who was grinning at me.

"We'll distract him," he smiled wickedly when I nodded, turning and running towards the ship.

"You guys get in the ship and figure out how to reverse it," I ordered, activating my boosters flying above the ship as Sideswipe scaled it below.

"He'll vaporize you," Fixit called to us worriedly.

"Now who's not believing in a teammate?" Sides called down, before returning to his task of climbing the ship.

"He won't if you guys find a way to reverse this quick enough," I grinned, finding Starscream and forming an attack plan.

I flew behind Starscream, who was focused on Sides. The bot was deflecting dark energon blows, but the little demon was quick on his wheels.

Just as a hit got Sides, knocking him back to the earth, I tackled him. He flailed helplessly, trying to knock me off. He crashed into the ground, scraping my body against the hard rocks below. I released him, allowing him to get free again.

" _Cara,_ " Sides called over my comm. " _The minis are ready. Get Starscream closer,_ "

I groaned, grabbing my helm and ignoring the pain, watching as Starscream circled around, smiling down on me as he brought his dark saber forward.

"I'm working on it,"

I activated my boosters just as Starscream fired I was. The blast hit where I was laying moments before. I soared high in the air, circling around to meet the creep. Sideswipe was taking over, driving below, bringing Starscream closer to the ship. I followed at a safe distance, watching as the little red bot scooped up the two minis, crashing into the ceiling of the ship that led into the lab. Starscream hovered above it, peering down at them.

"I have the strength to destroy a Prime, autobot," Starscream was challenged as I moved above him. I hovered gently. "Do you really dream you can hide from me?"

I canceled my boosters, allowing gravity to do its work. I crashed into the con, sending us both deeper into the lab. I rolled off his frame, the con still hovering above us, but the damage was done.

"Do it!" Sideswipe called.

Fixit flipped a switch, the con above falling a little. In front of him, the little blue bird appeared, who quickly danced out of the lab. I watched as Starscream struggled to fight against his weakened state.

"Strength … diminished … "

"Hit him again, Fixit!" I called.

"Pop the other minis out of him!" Sides added.

Starscream flew out of the ship before the next surge was able to grab him.

"He is out of range," Jet told me.

I blasted after him, the two of us circling for a hot minute. We met in the middle occasionally, which was mostly me ducking away from his saber.

It was only a few moments after our last tangle that shots started hitting Starscream. I turned to see my Optimus, a new armor adding to his already glorious frame, charging Starscream head on. I backed away as the two connected, the power of their two blades surrounding the two of them.

"I may no longer have the power to defeat you on my own, Optimus, but I still have six minicons and the dark star saber,"

"And still you will not achieve your goal, Starscream!" Optimus hollered back at him, shoving. They broke apart, Optimus returning to fire on him almost immediately. Starscream fled, Optimus followed, still firing. I dropped back to the ground, where the autobots were fighting the three remaining decepticons. I shot a couple times, before my attention was brought to the two fighting in the air. They were now clashing against each other, blades meeting each other.

Starscream had charged Optimus, and my bot turned and flew away from him. I was concerned, until I saw that he was headed for the ship. The others joined around me, watching as Optimus was knocked onto the ship.

"Starscream's too fast, too strong,"

"No," I eased with a smile. "We got this," I activated my boosters, soaring high into the air. I circled behind Starscream, staying out of his sight as best I could.

"How typical," he was saying, watching Optimus with curious optics. "Thinking I'd fall for the same scheme a second time. It will be your last mistake,"

Before I could charge him, something bright yellow soared through the air, latching onto Starscream's frame. I looked down at the bots below, where Grimlock was holding his tail with an innocent look on his faceplates.

"Fixit!" Bee called below. The minicon activated the thing, Starscream just out of range. We just needed to drag him down…

Optimus and I shared a look, before I flashed him a shit-eating grin.

"You cannot hold me, Bumblebee. Not while I can -"

He was cut off when Optimus and I latched onto his frame, the added weight dragging him down slowly. He still fought it, even as the others joined us, each latching onto Starscream and pulling him down.

"No!" Scream called. "I will have my revenge! I will have my victory!"

"Not today, Starscream," Bee grinned below.

"Not ever," Optimus added.

The armour on Starscream started breaking apart under our servos, bots and minicons alike falling to the ship. My boosters helped me land smoothly, a minicon falling into my servos. The yellow one, who smiled up at me, exhausted. As my pedes made touchdown, I looked around to see the others, some of them holding their own minicons.

Starscream still hovered in the air, all his energy spent, the dark star saber falling from his grasp. I watched as it circled into the hole in the ceiling, stabbing itself into the controls next to Fixit, causing an explosion of the machines designed to help a bot force a merge with the minicons. I set the yellow mini to the side, jumping into the hole. I grabbed Fixit, shielding him from the explosions.

When we looked back up, Starscream started a freefall from his position, the last of his energon spent holding him in the air. Just as he passed through the hole, Optimus shot his servo out, grabbing a hold of the former air commander, pulling him back up. I lifted the minicon to my shoulder plates, grinning up at my bot, my arms crossed in front of my spark.

His glowing face mask retreated, and he returned the smile.

* * *

"Okay you three," I tuned my audios to listen to Sides' conversation better, relaxing into the grip of my bot's warm embrace. "I'm really sorry for the things I said,"

"An apology is no longer required, Sideswipe," Jetstorm stated.

"Correct!" Fixit cheered. "You demonstrated your true feelings for us with your earlier ack - ack - ack - ack - actions .. ?"

I twisted slightly to peer at them, watching as Grimlock moved forward holding a bundle of something green.

"Russell said this was a way humans apologized," Sides explained, gesturing towards the dinobot. "So … Grimlock helped me pick you a bouqet of foliage,"

I snorted into my bot's metals, trying not to be too hard on the kids. Grimlock stuck his hands in the … bushes, he chose, cycling air through his intakes.

"I am kind of a natural at apologizin',"

I giggled again, Optimus' arm tightening around my shoulder plates. I turned back to him, back to the conversation between himself, Bee and Aerobolt, the bird leader of the minicons. I smiled at him, but his optics flicked towards Bee.

"What'd I miss?"

"Things must be better at Cybertron if they gave you access to a ship," Bee shrugged, repeating what he'd just said earlier.

"We were not on Cybertron, Bumblebee," I told him, trying to mimick my Optimus' grave voice.

"Nor have I been since Primus returned me to this realm," Optimus picked up. I looked up at him, allowing him to continue. I knew what he was thinking, but was unsure how far he wanted to tell my brother.

"I don't understand," Bee stated, optics bouncing between Optimus and myself.

"The situation on Cybertron is fluid. I am working with some .. old friends to resolve it,"

I saw the doubt forming on Bee's faceplates, and my spark ached for him. "That's all we can say now, Bee," I told him, reaching for him and pulling him into me in a tight embrace. "I know that answer isn't good enough for you, but it's all we have right now. Please, just trust us. We wouldn't withhold information from you if we didn't think it was for the best,"

Optimus reached around us both, offering - not a hug, but a strong embrace. "I promise to call upon you if we need any help,"

"Okay," Bumblebee grinned, pulling away.

"Thank you for your assistance," a deep voice from below called. Aerobolt smiled up at the lot of us, the other minicons gathered around him. "Thank you, all of you,"

"I would transport you but -"

"That's okay," the red one interrupted my Optimus with a sheepish smile. "We don't want to be anywhere near Starscream."

I smiled, bending down to their level. "I hope you find the peace you are looking for," I touched servos with every one of them, each returning my smile.

"Likewise, Lady Prime," Aerobolt offered.

I scrunched my faceplates at him, standing and falling back into place beside my Optimus. "I am at peace," I grinned, wrapping my arms around his waist. He guided us up the ramp into his ship. We turned to look at the others, one last farewell. "I am home," I said, sneaking a kiss to his faceplates as the door shut, the ship taking off.


End file.
